We wanted to kick off the Wild About Colombia blog with a feature on one of the myriad special species of bird (over 1,900 species have been recorded here – the most of any country in the world!) that can be experienced on a Colombia birding tour. The magnificent Buffy Helmetcrest (a member of the genus oxypogon) is confined to montane habitats within a highly restricted distribution range of páramo (high-altitude tropical moorland), sub-páramo and elfin forests of Colombia’s central Andean range within the Los Nevados National Park. Here, amongst this starkly beautiful mosaic of habitats, Buffy Helmetcrest has a particular reliance and association with Espeletia, or locally ‘frailejones’ – a genus of plants in the subtribe Espeletiinae which the helmetcrests can often be seen clinging to, in order to conserve energy, while extracting nectar and especially picking off micro insects. Other flowering plants are also important to the species throughout the year, but it is the Espeletia which it is most reliant upon. They employ a feeding habit known as ‘trap-lining’ whereby an individual will forage a specific set of flowers on a continual loop – in a way harvesting the limited resources in this rarefied habitat. It is perhaps for this reason that, like many other hummingbird species, helmetcrests are highly territorial and will act aggressively towards others of its own kind that encroach upon its’ feeding grounds. Seeing these beautiful birds is always a special privilege and often proves to be a highlight of a Wild About Colombia birding tour!
Why we are Wild About Colombia?
For us at Wild About Colombia Buffy Helmetcrest and its closely related cousins of the oxypogon genus (there are 4 in total and 3 can only be found in Colombia – Buffy Helmetcrest, Green-bearded Helmetcrest and Blue-bearded Helmetcrest. The 4th White-bearded Helmetcrest is endemic to Venezuela) are representative of what is so special about birding and wildlife travel here. Namely, exciting and rewarding encounters with unique wildlife while enjoying time in wonderful and beautiful habitats. And, perhaps most importantly, we do all this while providing local communities with a sustainable source of income - be it through eating deliciously prepared local food, grabbing a fresh cup of world-class Colombian coffee between birding stints, staying in high quality locally owned lodges and hotels, or simply enjoying the services and friendly company of your expert bilingual Wild About Colombia birding tour guide. What could be better! Indeed, this was the driving force behind the Wild About Colombia project, and so to represent our company and ethos, we took inspiration from these unique little hummingbirds when designing the Wild About Colombia logo. We hope you’ll also get the chance to witness these beauties in their natural habitats, and we would love to help you make that a reality…
How you can enjoy Colombia’s mind-blowing birding as well!
We currently offer one Colombia birding tour, called ‘The Golden Birding Trail’, that practically guarantees seeing at least one of these species (Buffy HC) and offers a fair chance of seeing the Green-bearded HC as well! The Blue-bearded HC is so rare that it was considered extinct until its rediscovery in 2015. It can be found in extremely remote high mountains of the endemic-packed Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – a mountain range we visit on our shorter Santa Marta birding tour which we call ‘Birding in Paradise’. However, we do not go high enough to see the Blue-bearded Helmetcrest. Indeed, an expedition style trip is required for this – proper trekking and camping (no comfortable lodges up there!). If this is something that sounds of interest to you, we can certainly arrange a visit to try for this near-mythical hummingbird that only a handful of people have ever laid eyes on! Either way, rest assured that our team of birding and wildlife experts can make your birding dreams a reality here in Colombia!
How to reach the Wild About Colombia team
Should you have any questions on this post, or our Colombia birding tours in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch info@wildaboutcolombia.com
We are in the process of developing an email distribution so that new blog posts can be delivered to your inbox. But, in the meantime, if you enjoyed this post, please do visit and like our facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/wildaboutcolombia/ as we will inform you of new posts through this social media channel – as well as posting loads of amazing birds and other wildlife from our adventures in Colombia.
Did someone say something about
mammals!?
If the likes of Spectacled Bear, Mountain Tapir, Cotton-top
Tamarin, Ornate Titi and Giant Anteater get you going, please contact us on
the above email address! We also arrange mammal watching holidays in search of
Colombia’s rare and endemic species!
From all of us, thank you for reading this post, and happy birding and wildlife watching wherever you are in the world!
Best wishes,
The Wild About Colombia team
