Gallery: A Glittering Trochilidae Treasure

From the Spring 2021 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now.

David Mora Vargas uploaded a sparkling image of a Fiery-throated Hummingbird into the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library in February during the Great Backyard Bird Count. Vargas spotted this gem at the Paraiso Quetzal Lodge outside of San José, Costa Rica, catching just the right light at the right angle to capture its glittering, golden throat.

More than a quarter million birders found nearly 7,000 bird species around the world during the 4-day GBBC, including nearly 700 species in Costa Rica.