Bulletin 392 - Colombia 2021 #9 - Hummingbirds - Pt 1

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

There are over 160 species of hummingbirds in Colombia! We saw many species with some rare and endemic ones.

The male 4.75" Bronze-Tailed Thornbill (Chalcostigma heteropogon) is a species of the paramo and nearby forests. He is a brownish hummer with the distinctive green and pink beard.

Bronze-Tailed Thornbill

We also glimpsed the Black-backed Thornbill, a Santa Marta range endemic, but I missed the photograph.

Of course, a favorite of birders is the 5" Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera). This is an easy ID.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

At that same location we saw both trainbearer species. The 8.5" male Black-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) is an easy ID.

Black-tailed Trainbearer - male

The 7" female Green-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia nuna) has a shorter tail and spotted belly.

Green-tailed Trainbearer - female

The 3.5" Versicolored Emerald (Chrysuronia versicolor) has a red bill and was the only hummer we saw in a nest on the trip. It was formerly in the amazilia genus.

Versicolored Emerald

The 3.5" Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) is perhaps the most common hummingbird seen in the tropics where I have visited. It is a beautiful bird.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

The 3.5" Buffy Hummingbird (Leucippus fallax) is a resident of the dry scrub coastal area of northeastern Columbia. The sexes are similar and it is also an easy ID.

Buffy Hummingbird

The 4" male White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is another common hummingbird and an easy ID with the blue head, and white belly.

White-necked Jacobin

The 3.5" Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestita) is green backed with a dark tail. It would have the white feathers on his thighs if we could see them.

Glowing Puffleg

Lastly is the 4" male White-vented Plumleteer (Chalybura buffonii). He is all green with a bluish breast and obvious white undertail feathers against the dark blue tail.

White-vented Plumleteer

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 136 of the 359 species of hummingbirds.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 271 - Ecuador 2016 #5 - Hummingbirds

These are the places visited. At the end of each bird description, I will give the 2 letter code where the photo was taken.

Shiripuno Lodge in Amazon  (SH)
Archidona a town on the east slope  (AR)
San Isidro Lodge at a higher elevation on east slope (SI)
Antisana reserve on the paramo    (AN)
Yanacocha reserve   (YA)
Mindo area on west slope has several close reserves that we visited (MI)

Hummingbirds are one of my favorites and are the most amazing birds with their ability to hover and fly backwards and upside down. I photographed about 2 dozen new species on the trip. The rarest of the hummers on the trip was the 7.5" male Fiery Topaz (Topaza pyra). The range map just shows a few dots in the Amazon region where one might find it. However, at Shiripuno lodge, a pair roosts on a branch over the water at night and you can go about 100 yards from the lodge by boat and just wait until they fly in at 5:30. Amazing. The unique tail with crisscrossed extended feather is the ID mark.  SH

Fiery Topaz - male

Several others had interesting tails as well. The 9" male Black-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) is green with 2 long tail feathers.   AN

Black-tailed Trainbearer - male

The 7" male Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) is green with 2 long shimmering blue tail feathers.  SI

Long-tailed Sylph - male

His cousin, the 7" male Violet-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) has a purple tail.  MI

Violet-tailed Sylph - male

The cute 4.5" male Booted Racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii) looks like he has white fur boots on along with the racket tail.   MI

Booted Racket-tail - male

Pufflegs are hummers that have boots like the racket-tail above. The 4.5"  Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani) is green with blue under the tail and white leg puffs.   YA

Sapphire-vented Puffleg

The 4.5" Golden-breasted Puffleg (Eriocnemis mosquera) has gold breast, green body and white leg puffs.   YA

Golden-breasted Puffleg

I like the name of this next one. The 4.5" Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) is a rich coppery brown.    YA

Shining Sunbeam

The 4.75" Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) is green with a blue belly and violet on the sides of the face.     AN

Sparkling Violetear

The 4.5" White-tailed Hillstar (Urochroa bouqueri) is green with a blue throat, bronze rump and white tail underneath.   AR

White-tailed Hillstar

I have updated my hummingbird family photo and now have 111 species of the 348. You can browse them all at this link.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2016 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.