Hummingbird of the Sun, known in Spanish as Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve, is a 731 ha

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. It lies at the base of the Páramo del Sol volcanic

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

west of the city of

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

in the

Department of Antioquia Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part ...

. It was established on October 6, 2005, by

Fundación ProAves Fundación ProAves is a nonprofit environmental organization in Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. Th ...

, a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

environmental organization An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environme ...

that owns and manages several reserves in Colombia.

History

Following an expedition to the

Páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

de Frontino in 2004, researchers rediscovered two extremely range-restricted

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species, the dusky starfrontlet and the chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer. In 2005, a large bird reserve was established across the paramo and montane forest by Fundacion ProAves and named after the dusky starfrontlet.

Birds

Other locally endemic birds are the Fenwick's antpitta and Paramillo tapaculo. Other key species include the rusty-faced parrot,

Andean pygmy owl The Andean pygmy owl (''Glaucidium jardinii'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The Andean pygmy owl is monotypic. Description The Andean pygmy owl ...

, ocellated tapaculo, moustached antpitta,

black-throated flowerpiercer The black-throated flowerpiercer (''Diglossa brunneiventris'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the northern Andes (mainly in Peru but also in Colombia, western Bolivia and far northern Chile). Its natural habitats a ...

, white-capped and red-hooded tanagers,

black-collared jay The black-collared jay (''Cyanolyca armillata'') is a jay found in Andean forests in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It was formerly considered conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a bio ...

and black-billed mountain toucan.

Ecosystem

At 3,500 meters, The Hummingbird of the Sun Reserve contains 731 ha of high Andean forests and

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

(moorland), which include the endemic Frailejón de Frontino, Andean oak groves, and chaparrals dominated by '' Polylepis quadrijuga''. It is predominantly mountainous with about 70% of the property containing steep slopes, 20% with hills, and only 10% flat land. The reserve's soils have indica properties of high porosity, medium texture, and strongly acidic.

Access

Access to the reserve involves five hours travelling by road from Medellín to

Urrao Urrao is a town and municipality of Colombia, located in the subregion Southwest Antioquia , southwest of the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. Limited by the north with the municipalities of Frontino (Colombia) , Frontino and Abri ...

, followed by a two-hour walk or horseback ride to the reserve's lodge.

References

External links

Fundación ProAvesBird Watching Hotspots
{{Protected areas of Colombia, state=expanded Birdwatching sites in Colombia Nature reserves in Colombia Protected areas established in 2005 2005 establishments in Colombia Geography of Antioquia Department Tourist attractions in Antioquia Department