The saber-winged hummingbird had only been seen on two occasions. It took more than a decade for researchers to hear their song again.
DIARIO DEL HUILA, ENVIRONMENT.
12 years ago, the Santa Marta saber-winged hummingbird landed in a researcher’s mist net. That was the last time he was seen. Since then, in the last 12 years, it was believed to be extinct. Until now.
The emerald green hummingbird with blue throat is one of the most sought after birds in the world, according to the organization Birdlife International, along with the Himalayan Quail and the Cuban Kite.
“We must find them before they become extinct,” says the institution. The saberwing was discovered in 1946. However, the species has been so elusive to researchers and fan sightings that it was not until 2010 that it was recorded with certainty through its song and a photograph in the El Dorado Reserve. , which are preserved
public on the eBird documentation site.
In July of this year, the bird thought lost in the wild finally reappeared and was photographed perched on a branch singing. The image was captured by Yurgen Vega, who was studying endemic birds in the Sierra Nevada forests, in Santa Marta, in an unprotected area.
“It’s like seeing a ghost”
The observer, as he narrated, was about to leave the place, when he saw the brightness of a male of this species. The bird remained calm for a long time, which allowed its record to remain in photographs and videos, and allowed Vega to listen to its song.
For years, enthusiasts have come to the habitat of this species in search of confirming its existence, hearing it sing and capturing the moment. This bird is quite large for a hummingbird, its emerald green plumage shimmering, it has a curved black bill and a blue neck.
According to Birdlife, this bird is the rarest and most threatened of the 22 species identified in this Endemic Bird Area.