The place
Jardín Botánico del Quindío, Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia. The Quindío Botanical Garden pairs Andean forest trails with one of Colombia’s best-known butterfly houses, and outside it Black-throated Mangos, Andean Motmots and White-necked Jacobins make it a rewarding stop for birds. I made this frame around midday in June 2017.
The shot
For a moment the Jacobin stopped moving and settled on a bare twig, perfectly still. Against the soft green and amber blur of the garden, its sapphire head and throat, emerald back and bright white belly stood out sharply, and it held its long, straight bill out like a pointer.
The bird
A hummingbird (Trochilidae), the White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is resident from sea level to about 900 m across a range BirdLife estimates at 11.8 million km².
Conservation
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, last assessed 2021), with an estimated 5–50 million mature individuals, though BirdLife reports the trend as decreasing. Source: BirdLife International