This lovely Lesser Violetear was perched near the main building at La Savegre Lodge in the central highlands of Costa Rica. It was in perfect light, but the background – windows of a building – was in the shade, a combination that highlights the sparkling green and violet feathers of the Violetear. This was one of those lucky situations that gets photographers and birders up in the morning!

The Lesser Violetear species was formerly the Green Violetear, a species that was split in the most recent taxonomy revisions into Lesser Violetear and Mexican Violetear. The Lesser Violetear occurs in mountains from southern Central America to northern South America.

DIXIE SOMMERS Costa Rica with Audubon Society of Northern Virginia