Threats from human activity mean the newly discovered species is likely already critically endangered.
In 2017, researchers working in the Ecuadorian Andes stumbled across a previously unknown species of hummingbird—but as documented in a new study published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, its small range, specialized habitat, and threats from human activity mean the newly described Blue-throated Hillstar is likely already critically endangered.
Hillstars are unusual among hummingbirds—they live in high-elevation habitats in the Andes and have special adaptations to cold temperatures. Francisco Sornoza-Molina of Ecuador’s Instituto Nacional de Biodiversida, first observed and photographed a previously unknown hillstar during fieldwork in southwest Ecuador in April 2017. After this first expedition, Sornoza-Molina engaged fellow researchers Juan Freile, Elisa Bonaccorso, Jonas Nilsson, and Niels Krabbe in the study of this possible new species, returning in May to capture specimens and confirm the finding. They dubbed the new species Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus, or the Blue-throated Hillstar, for its iridescent blue throat.
The Blue-throated Hillstar is found only along bush-lined creeks in an area of about 100 square kilometers, and the researchers estimate there are no more than 750 individuals, perhaps fewer than 500.
Continue reading at the American Ornithological Society
Image via F. Sornoza-Molina
