Male Talamanca Hummingbird Resting Above a Highland Garden

A male Talamanca Hummingbird sits on a pale horizontal branch, long bill tilted upward as the green body and dark violet-crowned head emerge against a softly flowered background at San Gerardo de Dota valley 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 1/3200 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 6400 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.