Perhaps no other birds mesmerize us the same way hummingbirds do. Totally captivating in the unique dexterity of their flight, and with colors that can defy description and change from one instant to another as the angle changes, hummingbirds are found only in the Americas where they reach their highest diversity in the tropics.

Few countries have more hummingbird species than tiny Ecuador with its cross-section of habitats ranging from the vast Amazon basin to lush montane forests and high Andean steppes to desert scrub near the Pacific coast, each area with its own group of specialties: over 130 species are found here!

Now finally we have a book that focuses on this incredible diversity of feathered jewels, a field guide written by Rainforest Trust President, Dr. Robert S. Ridgely, and published this year: Hummingbirds of Ecuador.

Unlike the rest of Dr. Ridgely’s bird books, this one is illustrated by an extraordinary set of photographs using high-speed digital photography. Thanks to an amazing surge in popularity of hummingbird feeders across Ecuador, people can easily see (and photograph) the vast majority of species at ultra-close range. Birdfeeders were the inspiration for this book, as so many people were observing hummingbirds coming to feeders without knowing much about what they were viewing.

This is a book anyone with an interest in birds should own. All proceeds will support reserves in Ecuador owned by Fundación Jocotoco and established with Rainforest Trust support.

You can purchase your copy from Amazon.com!