The Story
I photographed this Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys) at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,000 meters, in February 2021. It is the only member of its genus, and males and females look alike. The upperparts are glossy green and bronze, the pale underparts are flecked with green and bronze, and a black cheek patch sits below a white stripe behind the eye. It lives in Andean cloud forest, mostly between 1,000 and 2,500 meters, and birds on either side of the Andes appear to be genetically distinct. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/750 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys) 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), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List