Ancient forest is last stand for a hummingbird facing extinction

YANACOCHA RESERVE (AP):

Deep in the Ecuadorian Andes, an ancient forest stands as a final sanctuary against the encroachment of human activity. This is the Yanacocha Reserve, the last refuge for the Black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), a tiny hummingbird teetering on the edge of extinction.

Measuring just 9 centimetres (3.5 inches), this emblematic bird of Quito is one of the most threatened species on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its global population has dwindled to between 150 and 200 birds.

Founded 25 years ago by the Jocotoco Foundation, the Yanacocha Reserve has become a centrepiece for Andean biodiversity.

“We realized we were conserving an entire ecosystem, not just one species,” conservationist Paola Villalba told The Associated Press.

The bird is easily identified by the striking white “trousers” of feathers around its legs, which contrast sharply with its deep, metallic black chest and bronze-green wings. Despite its beauty, its survival is at risk as high-altitude forests are cleared for grazing and agriculture.

Shirley Farinango, of the Birds and Conservation Foundation, notes that the pressure is most intense because the puffleg occupies a narrow ecological niche between 3,000 and 3,500 meters (9,800 and 11,400 feet) above sea level. This specific elevation, she said, is “prime territory” to be converted to agricultural land.

On the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 45 kilometres (27 miles) northwest of Quito, conservationists are now racing to restore this cloud-shrouded forest.

For the “smallest fairies” of the Andes, these dense trees are more than just a habitat – they are their last stand.