The Story
I photographed this Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis) at El Palmar, the entrance to the Alto Combeima forest reserve in the Cañón del Combeima above Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It ranges from the Andes of Colombia south along the eastern slope to Morona-Santiago Province in Ecuador, and is locally fairly common. The female incubates a clutch of two white eggs. The species occurs in several protected areas, and its population is believed to be stable. Juveniles look like adult females, but young males have a white chin. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/60 sec, f/11, ISO 6400. Cortolima, Tolima’s environmental authority, has brought local children to El Palmar for World Migratory Bird Day birding outings.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis) 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