The Story
I photographed this Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) at the Forest of Orchids, a private reserve in the vereda Chincé near Tabio and Tenjo, Cundinamarca, Colombia. It takes nectar from many flowering plants, either hovering or clinging to the flower, and it sometimes pierces the base of a flower to steal nectar. It also catches small insects in flight. It is found in the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/350 sec, f/6.7, ISO 12800, +0.5 EV. The reserve sits at about 2,700 meters, keeps an orchid collection and a hummingbird garden, and is listed as a green business by the regional environmental authority, CAR.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) 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