Florisuga mellivora
Trochilidae — Hummingbirds

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A photograph is worth a thousand words, but the story makes it worth a few more.

BACKSTORY

I had seen and photographed White-necked Jacobins many times before in Belize and Costa Rica, so encountering another at Sendero Frutti Tour in Ecuador’s western Andes was hardly a surprise. As a birder, it wasn’t a species I was going to get particularly excited about—it is a common and expected visitor at many hummingbird feeding stations in the region. But as a photographer, that was a completely different matter. In a quiet moment away from the commotion around the feeders, this familiar bird reminded me just how spectacular even a common species can be when you stop and really look at it.

IMAGE DETAILS

SETTING INFORMATION: Sendero Frutti Tour, Ecuador · November 7, 2025
EQUIPMENT INFORMATION: Canon EOS R5 · Canon RF 100–500mm + RF 1.4x Extender
SETTINGS INFORMATION: 500mm · ƒ/8 · 1/640 sec · ISO 5000