Readers’ wildlife photos

Today we have the fourth installment of photos from Costa Rica by Ephraim Heller (previous posts are here and here). Read on to see a lovely set of hummingbird and trogon photos. Ephraim’s text is indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.  Do note the Resplendent Quetzal, which I consider the world’s most beautiful bird.

The following photos were taken on two trips to Costa Rica in April and December 2023. The photos are divided into three groups: mammals and reptiles; miscellaneous pretty birds; and hummingbirds and trogons (this one). For more photos you can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hellerwildlife/.

The hummingbirds are presented in approximate order of their typical elevations, from sea level to the tops of volcanos

 

Charming Hummingbird (Polyerata decora). A lowland hummingbird. In contrast to all the other hummingbirds we observed and as you can see in this photo, the charming hummers pierce the sides of flowers for nectar rather than feeding at the flower’s opening. Interestingly, I don’t see this mentioned in the online descriptions of this bird:

Rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) at a torch ginger. This was taken near sea level, but they are found up to 1,850 m elevations in Costa Rica. They are very territorial at feeding sites, and we saw them constantly chasing away other hummingbirds:

Another rufous-tailed hummingbird:

Green crowned brilliant hummingbirds (Heliodoxa jacula) fighting over territory. They are typically found at elevations of 700-2,200 m.:

Scintillant Hummingbird (Selasphorus scintilla). Found at altitudes of 900-2,000 m. Replaced at higher altitudes by its relative the volcano hummingbird. One of the smallest birds in existence, the male weighs just 2 g (0.071 oz) and the female just 2.3 g (0.081 oz):

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus). Typically found at elevations of 1,200-2,300 m.:

Volcano Hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula). As the name implies, this species is found on Costa Rica’s volcanoes at high altitudes, typically between elevations of 2,000 and 3,500 m.:

Volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) – poas volcano subspecies (S. f. simoni). This subspecies with the beautiful magenta neck is found only in a tiny area near the Poas volcano:

Another volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) – Poas volcano subspecies (S. f. simoni):

Talamanca Hummingbird (Eugenes spectabilis). Another high-altitude hummer, typically found above 2,500 m.:

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) – male. Quetzals are in the trogon family and are the largest trogon. Males have iridescent green tail plumes which they shed after the mating season. They strongly prefer the shade of tropical rainforests making them hard to photograph while flying. Their favorite food is small wild avocados, which they swallow whole, digest, and then regurgitate the pit:

Resplendent Quetzal in flight:

Resplendent Quetzal regurgitating an avocado pit:

Northern Black-throated Trogon (Trogon tenellus):

Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris):