Female Talamanca Hummingbird with Tongue Extended at Batsu Gardens

A female Talamanca Hummingbird perches on the arcing stem of an orange bird-of-paradise flower with her slender tongue extended conspicuously beyond the long decurved bill at Batsu Gardens in Costa Rica. Restricted to the Costa Rica-Panama highlands, this large hummingbird was formerly grouped with Rivoli's Hummingbird; the male flashes a violet crown and turquoise throat, while the female has mottled gray underparts and a white postocular mark. The exposure of 1/4000 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 10000 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.