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Booted racket-tails are striking little hummingbirds from the Neotropics. Despite their spectacular tail 'rackets', they are quite subtle when foraging, tending to remain close to or inside flowering bushes, and are surprisingly hard to see. They are easily intimidated by larger hummingbirds; where I took these pictures they were constantly being chased by sparkling violet-ears and violet-crowned brilliants. I photographed this male in a small garden on the Manu road on the eastern slope of the Andes in Peru. In some areas, the feathery 'boots' on the legs are white, instead of buffy. |
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