I photographed this Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys) at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, its wings a blur against the soft greens of the forest. Its mottled throat and black cheek patch stood out in the diffused light under light cloud cover. It is a highland species often found in Andean cloud forests. Females build the nest and care for the young on their own, and after the chicks hatch they brood them for 7 to 8 days, then perch nearby until they fledge. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18, where La Minga sits, is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys) belongs to the family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List