The Story
I photographed this Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,020 meters, in February 2021. It is named for the steel-blue undertail coverts of the adult male, whose plumage is otherwise golden green. Females are similar but have some white on the throat and grayish-brown undertail coverts. The species lives only in Colombia and Venezuela, and the subspecies saucerottei is found in western Colombia, including the Cauca River valley. 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 1/500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. 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 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