Chile Hummingbird Expedition | December 2024

6 New | From Rarest to Largest

Trip overview

• Dates: December 18–25, 2024

• Regions:

  • Arica y Parinacota: Arica, Camarones, Putre

  • Valparaíso: Viña del Mar

• Total hummingbird species observed: [add final count]

• New hummingbird species photographed: 6

• Focus: One of the world’s rarest hummingbirds, plus high‑Andes and size extremes

This was my first dedicated hummingbird run in Chile, and it was built around contrasts. One of the rarest and most range restricted hummingbirds on the planet. One of the largest. And a high Andean specialist that lives where the air is thin and the landscape feels almost otherworldly. Northern Chile and the coastal central region gave me a way to connect those stories in a single trip.

Why northern and central Chile for hummingbirds

Chile is not the first country people think of for hummingbirds, but the combination of desert oases, Andean slopes, and coastal habitats makes it quietly important. In Arica y Parinacota, desert valleys carry thin green ribbons of life where water allows hummingbirds to persist. Higher up, near Putre, the landscape shifts into puna and high Andean habitat that only a few species can handle. Further south, around Viña del Mar, coastal and urban green spaces add a different kind of hummingbird community.

During this expedition, I photographed six hummingbird species, all of them new to my list:

• #206 CR Chilean Woodstar, Eulidia yarrellii

• #207 LC Oasis Hummingbird, Rhodopis vesper

• #208 LC Peruvian Sheartail, Thaumastura cora

• #209 LC Andean Hillstar, Oreotrochilus estella

• #210 LC Giant Hummingbird, Patagona gigas

• #211 LC Green-backed Firecrown, Sephanoides sephaniodes

Three species became the main focus of the trip: Chilean Woodstar, Giant Hummingbird, and Andean Hillstar.

Chilean Woodstar

Micro endemic, Critically Endangered, less than 500 individuals

Chilean Woodstar was the heart of this expedition. It is a micro endemic hummingbird with an extremely restricted range in northern Chile and a population estimated at fewer than 500 individuals. Its world is made of desert valleys, irrigated farmland, and narrow strips of vegetation clinging to water in an otherwise dry landscape. When you step into those valleys, you can feel how exposed and fragile that reality is.

Photographing Chilean Woodstars was as much about time and restraint as it was about technique. With a bird this rare, every decision matters. Where you stand, how long you stay, and how you work around active territories and feeding areas. I spent long stretches watching flowering hedges, small orchards, and riparian vegetation, trying to learn how the birds moved through the habitat before ever lifting the camera. When the opportunities came, I focused on clean, respectful images that showed the structure and character of the species without adding unnecessary pressure. The goal was simple. Create detailed photographs that show what this hummingbird really looks like, in the place it still survives.

Giant Hummingbird

The largest hummingbird in the world

Giant Hummingbird is the other extreme. Where the Chilean Woodstar is small and precarious, Giant Hummingbird is big, slow winged, and seems out of scale with everything you think you know about hummingbirds. It feels more like a small swift or a different kind of bird entirely until you see it at flowers and on perches and realize that, yes, this is still a hummingbird.

In Chile, Giant Hummingbirds are tied to Andean and foothill habitats, places where tall flowering plants, cacti, or shrubs provide high perches and substantial nectar sources. Watching one fly is a very different experience. The wingbeats look slower, the flight path feels heavier, and the bird often holds higher vantage points than smaller hummingbirds. Photographing them was about embracing that sense of scale. I looked for compositions that let the size of the bird register clearly, with flowers, branches, and landscape elements that provided context rather than distractions.

Andean Hillstar

High altitude specialist

Andean Hillstar is a high elevation hummingbird built for thin air, cold temperatures, and open, exposed terrain. Around Putre and other Andean sites, the landscape shifts to puna and high desert. Low vegetation, rocky slopes, and big skies. It feels like a place that should be hard on hummingbirds, yet the hillstar moves through it with purpose.

This species spends a lot of time close to the ground, feeding on low shrubs and flowers adapted to high elevation conditions. It perches on rocks, fence posts, and small bushes, often with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. Photographing Andean Hillstars meant dealing with strong light, wind, and a sense of exposure that is very different from forest work. It was less about hiding in cover and more about reading the terrain, watching how the birds used shelter from wind, and waiting for those moments when they turned into the light with mountains and sky behind them.

The rest of Chile’s hummingbird scene

The remaining three species on this trip helped define Chile’s broader hummingbird picture:

• Oasis Hummingbird and Peruvian Sheartail anchored the desert and coastal valley side of the story. They showed how hummingbirds can persist along narrow oases and irrigated pockets in a very dry environment.

• Green-backed Firecrown provided a connection to more temperate and coastal habitats around places like Viña del Mar, a reminder that Chile’s hummingbird story extends beyond the far north and high Andes.

Taken together, these six species made Chile feel like a study in extremes. Tiny, Critically Endangered micro endemic in a fragile valley. Giant Hummingbird pushing the upper limits of body size for the family. High altitude specialist surviving where oxygen is limited and nights can be harsh. And a supporting cast that ties desert, coast, and temperate zones together.

What this expedition changed

Chile reframed what a hummingbird trip can look like. Instead of a long list in a lush environment, it was about a short, focused list in challenging habitats, with one species that carries an outsized conservation burden. Planning around Chilean Woodstar forced me to think more carefully about impact. Planning around Giant Hummingbird and Andean Hillstar reminded me that hummingbirds are not limited to the classic “green forest” image that most people hold.

By the end of the week, Chile felt less like an outlier and more like an essential part of the larger hummingbird story. A place where rarity, size extremes, and high altitude adaptation come together in a way that does not look like any other country I have worked in.

If you want to see the full list of species photographed during this trip, you can view the complete travel overview here: 2024 12 Chile

Chile hosts 10 hummingbird species; see the ones I’ve photographed.

Join me on future trips like this. You can find more details here: Visit Travel with Me!

Frequently asked questions

A Chile hummingbird trip tends to raise different questions than more “classic” destinations. This quick FAQ adds context before you move on to the next Hummingbird Travel Story.

• Why focus so much on Chilean Woodstar?

  Because it is a micro endemic, Critically Endangered hummingbird with fewer than 500 individuals remaining, and its entire future is tied to a very small, vulnerable set of habitats.

• Is it difficult to balance photography with conservation for a bird this rare?

  Yes. It requires careful site choice, limited time around sensitive areas, working with local knowledge, and prioritizing the bird’s safety and stress level over any single photograph.

• What makes Chile a worthwhile hummingbird destination if it has relatively few species?

  Chile offers unique extremes. One of the rarest hummingbirds, the largest hummingbird, and a high Andean specialist, all in landscapes that look and feel very different from traditional tropical hummingbird sites.

• Would you return to Chile for more hummingbird work?

  Yes. There is more to learn about how these species are coping with ongoing changes to their habitats, and there are still opportunities to document behavior and contexts that are not well represented in current images.

Please note: The content provided in this article reflects Anthony’s personal experience and photographic approach. Results can vary depending on light, weather, location, equipment, subject behavior, and field conditions.