We saw so many hummingbirds that we could easily share pictures of them for another couple of weeks without even repeating species, but rather than get TOO indulgent, we'll wrap up with this second post of some of the most interesting hummingbirds we saw.
First off, this Green Thorntail we saw at La Paz was particularly special since we didn't even identify it until we were home and looking through the pictures with enough time to notice its tail and white patches were totally different from anything else we'd seen, giving us a new bird several months after we got home.
While almost all hummingbirds have some pretty striking iridescence, many of the galleries were in shady clearings in an overcast cloud forest where colours don't shine through as brightly. Such was not the case with this Fiery-Throated Hummingbird at a gallery on the cuerro de la muerte (yep, the "Highway of Death" features several very high passes where people used to freeze to death trying to cross) which was stunning in the full sun.
Contrasting full sun with total darkness, we found this unidentified hummingbird perched on a branch during a night walk. Hummingbirds have such high metabolism that rather than sleep, they go into a hibernation-like state of torpor each night to prevent their bodies from burning through all their energy. This ones eye appears open, but it didn't move at all as we gathered around for a look.
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