Species Spotlight
The Glittering Starfrontlet
TOP : GLITTERING OR DUSKY STARFRONTLET BY CHRIS BURNEY
The High Andean cloud forest and páramo of Tatamá National Natural Park in the northwest corner of Colombia is home to one of the rarest hummingbirds on Earth — the Endangered Glittering Starfrontlet .
Feathered in iridescent hues of green and blue , the male sports a glittering emerald forehead and sapphire throat . Both males and females wear a dusting of golden spots that shimmer when sunlight finds them . It ’ s no surprise that this bird ’ s Spanish name , “ Colibri del Sol ,” means “ hummingbird of the sun .”
Using its long black bill , this diminutive hummingbird relies on nectar and insects found along the foresttimberline-páramo habitats and nearby tall , humid forests of this biodiverse region . This Important Bird Area is under imminent threat as humans encroach on this vital ecosystem .
Meaning “ grandfather of the rivers ” in the Emberá- Chamí tradition , the Tatamá holds significant spiritual and cultural meaning to the local communities . The Andean forests and páramos here lie within two important watersheds that supply water to Afro-Colombian , Indigenous and peasant farming communities , most living in ethnic territories surrounding the park .
Rainforest Trust and our partners are working to protect this watershed by increasing Tatamá National Natural Park by 59,746 acres . Safeguarding this vulnerable ecosystem will enable the Glittering Starfrontlet and many other species to thrive here for generations to come .
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