Steely-vented Hummingbird

The Story

This Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) was at the Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia when I photographed it. In Colombia it lives on the western slope of the Western Andes and in the Cauca River valley, among other areas. In most of its range it is found between sea level and 1,500 meters. The Recinto del Pensamiento is a 179-hectare nature reserve of Andean cloud forest above 2,000 meters, at Km 11 on the road from Manizales to the Magdalena. IUCN lists the Steely-vented Hummingbird as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.

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 1600, +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 Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List