The Santa Marta Sabrewing, a large hummingbird found only in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, was last seen in 2010 and scientists feared the species may become extinct as the rainforests it inhabited have been largely cleared for Agriculture. But ornithologists are celebrating the rediscovery of Campylopterus phainopeplus after an experienced local bird watcher captured one on camera. It is only the third time the species has been recorded: the first was in 1946 and the second in 2010, when researchers captured the first photographs of the species in the wild. Yurgen Vega, who spotted the hummingbird while working with conservation organizations Selva, ProCAT Colombia and the World Parrot Trust to survey endemic birds in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, said he was “overwhelmed with emotion” when he saw the bird. “The sighting was a complete surprise,” he said. “When I first saw the hummingbird, I immediately thought of the Santa Marta sabrewing. I couldn’t believe he was waiting there for me to take out my camera and start shooting. I was almost convinced it was the species, but because I felt so strongly about the feeling, I preferred to be cautious. It could have been lazuline, which is often confused with Santa Marta extract. But as soon as we saw the pictures, we knew it was true.” The Santa Marta Sabrewing is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and features on the Top 10 “Most Wanted” list in conservation organization Re:wild’s Search for Lost Birds, a global effort to find species that have not been found for more since 10 years. The bird is so rare and elusive that John C Mittermeier, director of endangered species outreach at the American Bird Conservancy, likened the sighting to “seeing a ghost.” The hummingbird Vega saw was a male, identified by its emerald green wings, bright blue throat and curved black bill. It was perched on a branch, calling and singing, behavior that scientists believe is associated with courtship and territorial defense. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia is home to a wealth of wildlife, including 24 species of birds found nowhere else. But scientists estimate that only 15% of the mountain forest is intact. It is hoped that the surprise sighting of Santa Marta’s Sabrewing will help protect their remaining habitat, benefiting the many different species found there. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST “This finding confirms that we still know very little about many of the most vulnerable and rare species out there, and it is imperative that we invest more in understanding them better,” said Esteban Botero-Delgadillo, director of conservation science at Selva: Research. for Conservation in the Neotropics. “It is knowledge that drives action and change – we cannot sustain what we do not understand. “The next step is to get out there and look for stable populations of this species, trying to better understand where it occurs and what the most critical threats are in situ. Of course, this needs to involve people from local communities and local and regional environmental authorities, so that together we can start a program of research and conservation that can have a real impact.”
