#violetear

photograph by Sreejith Sreedharan

the sparkling violetear is a hummingbird species distributed through portions of western south america. like other hummingbirds, they primarily feed on nectar, though they will also occasionally feed on small insects. unlike most other hummingbirds, there are few differences in plumage between the sexes; however, females are notably larger and often have a white dot behind the eye. they are common throughout their range, and they are the largest species of ‘violetear’ hummingbirds.

Brown Violetear by Adam Rainoff Via Flickr: Nestled where the majestic Western Andes foothills embrace the fertile Cauca Valley in Colombia’s magical corregimiento of La Buitrera—right at the conservation-focused Hacienda Guadalajara near Palmira, Valle del Cauca—in the soft late afternoon light, I waited for this intimate male Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae). Perched motionless on a thick succulent leaf, its long straight bill slices forward with sculptural grace, the dark eye tack-sharp against warm earth-brown plumage subtly streaked across the breast. Shooting at 1/1500 second, f/6.7, ISO 3200 on my Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm lens, I froze the moment with a shallow depth of field that melted the forest-edge backdrop into creamy green bokeh, letting the throat’s iridescent sapphire-to-violet gorget and matching ear patch ignite in living turquoise and purple shifts under diffused natural light. The vibrant green leaf, edged in glowing red-orange, creates a bold diagonal leading line that anchors the frame and heightens the jewel-like contrast every wildlife photographer lives for. As a California-based conservation photographer, I approach every frame here not just as a technical pursuit—balancing that high ISO push with the RF 100-500’s reach while respecting the bird’s space—but as a quiet act of stewardship in this transitional landscape of shade coffee plantations and protected forest corridors. The Brown Violetear thrives in these exact Andean foothills, serving as a vital pollinator across northern South America’s humid evergreen zones. May this image inspire fellow photographers to seek out such places with patience, ethical craft, and a shared commitment to protecting the wild corridors that still hum with life. ©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer

Sparkling Violetear

Also I am more actively uploading these on my Twitter account: https://twitter.com/maggock (which I am more active on period, these days).

Corruscans are some of the largest hummingbirds in the mid-elevation Andes, second only to sicklebills. They flap more like songbirds some of the time, and are fierce defenders of their flower patches.