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Deeper into Ecuador andes mountainsancient forests are the last refuge from human activities. This is the Yanacocha Reserve, the last refuge for the black-breasted auk (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), a small, endangered hummingbird.
This symbolic bird measures just 9 cm (3.5 inches) Quito It is one of the most threatened species on earth. according to International Union for Conservation of Natureits global population has been reduced to 150 to 200 individuals.
The Yanacocha Reserve was created 25 years ago by the Jocotoco Foundation and has become a center of Andean biodiversity.
“We realize that we are protecting the entire ecosystem, not just one species,” conservationist Paola Villalba told The Associated Press.
This bird is easily recognized by its striking white feather “pants” around its legs, which contrast with its deep, metallic black breast and patina-green wings. Despite its beauty, its survival is in danger as high-altitude forests are cleared for grazing and agriculture.
Shirley Farinango of the Bird and Conservation Foundation notes that this pressure is most severe because nutria occupy a narrow ecological niche between 3,000 and 3,500 meters (9,800 and 11,400 feet) above sea level. This particular elevation is “prime territory” for conversion to agricultural land, she said.
Conservationists are racing to restore this cloud-shrouded forest on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 45 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of Quito.
For the “littlest fairies” of the Andes, these dense trees are not just a habitat, but their last stop.
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