2,500 Plants and Growing: A Chilean Woodstar Conservation Update
The effort to restore habitat for the Critically Endangered Chilean Woodstar continues to move forward at the Axaca Luli Reserve in northern Chile.
In June 2026, American Bird Conservancy provided the International Hummingbird Society with another progress report on work being carried out with its Chilean conservation partner, ROC, Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile.
And there is encouraging progress to share.
More Than 2,500 Plants Are Surviving
Reforestation at Axaca Luli began in 2025, and according to the latest report, the reserve now has more than 2,500 surviving plants established through work completed in 2025 and early 2026.
The restoration is designed to rebuild feeding and breeding habitat for the Chilean Woodstar while making careful use of the limited water available in this extraordinarily dry landscape.
Protecting the New Habitat
Getting vegetation into the ground is only part of the challenge.
Rodents and hares began feeding on some of the young plants, so ROC responded by installing protective metal mesh around the planting areas. That protection has now been completed around all plants established during 2025 and 2026.
Reforested plant with protective mesh. Photo by ROC.
The photographs provided by ROC show teams continuing the hands-on work of planting and protecting vegetation across the reserve.
Reforestation at the Axaca Luli Reserve. Photo by ROC.
Progress Built Through Partnership
The restoration effort is also bringing together local community members, volunteers, conservation organizations, and regional government agencies.
That collaboration matters.
Volunteers conducting reforestation work at the Axaca Luli Reserve. Photo by ROC.
When I first photographed the Chilean Woodstar, I wondered what could realistically be done to help a species with fewer than 500 individuals remaining.
Today, thousands of plants are taking root at Axaca Luli in an effort specifically designed to give this hummingbird more habitat in which to feed, breed, and survive.
There is still a long way to go, but this is meaningful progress.
I will continue sharing updates as the restoration moves forward and we learn more about what these efforts can mean for the future of the Chilean Woodstar.
Help Anthony Reach the Next At-Risk Hummingbird
Like my journey into northern Chile to photograph the Critically Endangered Chilean Woodstar, many of the hummingbirds still ahead require travel into remote and difficult-to-reach regions across the Americas.
Your sponsorship helps make these expeditions possible, allowing me to reach and document these species through photography and video, share their stories, and bring greater attention to the challenges facing their survival.
Each expedition is about more than creating a photograph. It is about documenting a species, the habitat it depends upon, and the conservation story surrounding its future.
Help me continue the journey and reach the next hummingbird that needs its story told.
More on Chilean Woodstar Conservation
Follow the habitat restoration, research, funding, and progress helping protect one of South America's most threatened hummingbirds.
