One of the wonderful finds in Ecuador at both Amagusa Preserve in Mashpi and the Milpe Bird Sanctuary outside Mindo, was the velvet-purple coronet, a "Choco-endemic" hummingbird limited to the cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia. Even within that limited area, eBird notes it is "generally uncommon."
In poor light it looks all black. But in good light it is a "dazzling gem with a purple belly and crown, turquoise sides, and greenish wing coverts...and bright white flashes in the tail." When it lands it "holds its wings up for a few seconds...exposing rich chestnut underwings."
My friend Terry, who accompanied me, loves hummingbirds. Learning that, Sergio Basantes, the proprietor of the Preserve, picked an orange orchid, dipped it into sugar water, and put it into Terry's hand. Terry had multiple hummingbirds come to his hand and rest on it, including a number of velvet-purple coronets.
I'm jealous. I want hummingbirds to land on my hand. They are all beautiful, but this species is especially gorgeous.
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