Discover new hummingbird species in Ecuador

Birds newly discovered blue-collar hillstar in the Andes are facing the risk of extinction due to habitat loss.

Hummingbird Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus.(Photo: AFP).

After more than a year of information gathering, bird researchers led by Dr. Francisco Sornoza have identified a new hummingbird species living in the cold and arid high mountains in southwestern Ecuador, along the coast of Thai Binh. Ocean, AFP reported yesterday.

Newly named bird Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus , belonging to the genus hillstar (Oreotrochilus) . They are about 11cm long with a striking blue neck, so there is also the name of the blue-collar hummingbird hillstar.

O. cyanolaemus was first discovered by Sornoza in April 2017 on an expedition in the Andes. Premonition that this bird is never known, Dr. Sornoza led a research group back in May to search, gather information and confirm the existence of this species of blue-collar hummingbird hillstar. .

The team estimates that there are only about 300 to 750 individuals of wild O. cyanolaemus hummingbirds living in the high mountains above 3,000 meters of the Andes. The narrowing of the habitat due to forest fires and gold mining activities is pushing populations of species to the brink of extinction.