Tolima Blossomcrown. Credit: Annie Jimenez and David Bejarano |
Scientific name: Anthocephala berlepschi
Location: Colombia
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Population: Less than 4500 mature individuals
Trend: Decreasing
Main Threats: Habitat Destruction
With an IUCN conservation status of “vulnerable,” the Tolima Blossomcrown inhabits a limited range in Colombia’s Central Andes at elevations between 4000 and 7500 feet (1200 - 2300 meters). Situated just above 6000 feet (1850 meters) in the middle of the bird’s range, Ukuku has become the premier destination for those who wish to observe, photograph, and study this hummingbird.
Today much about the Tolima Blossomcrown remains unknown, including details of its ecology, behavior, and reproduction. Its nesting habits and breeding season have yet to be documented. These gaps in knowledge have sparked the curiosity of Annie and Truman, who are working with a team of students to learn more about this enchanting, elusive hummingbird. And with the help of their garden, they are sure to discover some answers.
Males of this distinctive species sport a dark cinnamon forehead that merges into a buffy crown. Females lack the multicolored crown. Both sexes have white tips on their tails, a characteristic that distinguishes them from the only other bird in their genus: the Santa Marta Blossomcrown (Anthocephala floriceps).
A 10-Year Transformation
When Annie Jimenez and David "Truman" Bejarano, two passionate biologists, took on the management of the nearly 50 acres (19 hectares) around Ukuku Rural Lodge, they dedicated themselves to restoring it as a premontane forest habitat. In the early days of their project, they would see one lone Tolima Blossomcrown in the garden. As they introduced new plant species and worked to restore the natural forest, they studied the Blossomcrown and its preferred flowers. Whenever they found a new plant species visited by the Blossomcrown, they took cuttings and planted them in the garden. So far they have found 29 plant species this bird feeds on. Interestingly, one of them is considered invasive and harmful to ecosystems in Colombia: the Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata).
After a decade of hard work, Annie and Truman have transformed Ukuku’s landscape into a flourishing garden and forest where 34 hummingbird species may be seen, including two endemics: the Tolima Blossomcrown and the Indigo-capped Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanifrons). Now instead of a single Blossomcrown, as many as four individuals may be observed feeding simultaneously in the garden.
Where to visit to view
Nestled deep in the Andean mountains of Colombia’s Combeima Canyon, Ukuku Rural Lodge offers majestic views of the snow-capped Nevado del Tolima volcano, active as recently as 1943. But many of the lodge’s visitors do not journey here for visual grandeur. They come to see one of the lodge's tiniest residents: the rare Tolima Blossomcrown hummingbird (Anthocephala berlepschi).
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