These photos were shot in Ecuador, and Peru on two seperate trips, from several years ago. The cloud forests of the Andes are the very heart of hummingbird distribution.
If the Andes are the heart of hummingbird distribution, then the area around Mindo, in Ecuador is the heart of the Andes. These are Buff-tailed Coronets at Las Grallarias Eco lodge near Mindo.
This is a Buff-tailed Coronet in better light.
You can see how trusting these guys are.
The Velvet-purple Coronet has a very limited distribution, and is common only around Las Grallarias. It is certainly one of the most beautiful of hummingbirds.
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Another impressive hummingbird, Violet-tailed Sylph.
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Andean Emerald
Empress Brilliants really are brilliant in good light. Unfortunately The Andean cloud forests where it lives are almost always cloudy.
Way cool, but tiny, Booted Racket-tail. Notice the bee above it's tail.
Green Thorntail. This is the female.
Green-crowned Brilliant, immature male.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds are widespread throughout much of Latin America.
Sparkling Violetears are by far the most common hummingbird in Quito.
A bad photo of a great bird. This Green-tailed Trainbearer was in the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman above Cusco, Peru.
The common hummingbird along the coast in Southern Ecuador is the Amazilia Hummingbird.
The Amazilia Hummingbird is also the most common coastal hummingbird in Peru. One thing that I really love about hummingbirds are their creative names. Only one species regularly occurs in Alaska, the Rufous Hummingbird. They are seen about 50 miles south of me. I once saw a stray Costa's Hummingbird in Anchorage. They normally are found in the Southwestern deserts.In all I have been fortunate to see about 78 species of them in their natural habitats. I hope to see more when I can find the opportunity to go where they occur.
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