Sparkling Violetear

The Story

I photographed this Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. Incubation takes 17 to 18 days. It lives in a wide range of semi-open habitats, even gardens and parks in cities like Quito, and is often the most common hummingbird in its range. Its range runs along the Andes from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia into northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. The reserve’s trails pass a hummingbird viewpoint, a butterfly house, an orchid forest and the Pabellón Zeri, built of guadua and regional woods. IUCN lists the Sparkling Violetear as Least Concern.

I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200, +1 EV. The reserve belongs to the Comité Departamental de Cafeteros de Caldas and is run by the Corporación para el Desarrollo de Caldas to promote nature tourism in Manizales.

The bird

The Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) belongs to the family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.

Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)

Conservation

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024). Source: IUCN Red List