Using Photography and Video to Amplify Short-crested Coquette Conservation in Guerrero
Photography can introduce people to a species they may never see in the wild. Video footage can take that connection even further by showing the bird in motion, revealing behavior, and helping bring its habitat and conservation story to life.
That is why I was grateful to contribute my Short-crested Coquette (Lophornis brachylophus) photography and video footage to a documentary produced by the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero about efforts to protect this Critically Endangered hummingbird in Mexico’s Sierra de Atoyac.
The documentary, Short-crested Coquette: Conserving the Great Little Treasure in the Sierra de Atoyac!, provides a broader look at what it will take to keep this extraordinary species from disappearing.
Connecting Photography with Conservation
American Bird Conservancy helped connect me with Dr. Roberto Carlos Almazán Núñez, whose conservation work focuses on the Short-crested Coquette and the ecosystems of Guerrero.
Being able to place my photographs and video footage in the hands of researchers working directly with the species gave those images a purpose beyond my own photographic journey.
After seeing the material, Dr. Almazán Núñez shared:
“Your photographs and videos are incredible. Undoubtedly, it is a valuable contribution to share with the world and highlight the value of conservation with this hummingbird.”
That is exactly what I hope my photography and video footage can accomplish.
I may travel into the field to capture these birds, but some of the greatest value can come afterward, when those images help researchers, educators, and conservation organizations tell a much larger story.
Here is one of my videos.
Conserving a Great Little Treasure
The Short-crested Coquette is one of Mexico’s rarest hummingbirds, surviving within a remarkably small area of mountainous habitat in Guerrero.
Protecting it requires much more than focusing on the hummingbird alone.
The conservation effort brings together Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, American Bird Conservancy, local communities, and Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, CONANP.
The documentary introduces viewers not only to the beauty of the Short-crested Coquette and its habitat, but also to the community involvement, scientific research, education, and government support needed to give this species a better chance of survival.
That collaborative approach is especially important for a microendemic hummingbird whose future is tied to such a small part of the world.
Helping the Conservation Story Reach More People
For me, participating in this documentary reinforces something I have come to believe strongly throughout my hummingbird journey.
Taking the photograph or capturing the video footage is only the beginning.
When those photographs and recordings can support scientific research, conservation education, community outreach, or a documentary that introduces an endangered species to a wider audience, they become part of something much larger.
The Short-crested Coquette needs habitat protection and continued research on the ground in Guerrero.
It also needs people beyond the Sierra de Atoyac to know that it exists and understand why losing it would matter.
I am grateful that my photography and video footage can help support the researchers and conservationists working to make sure this great little treasure of Guerrero continues to have a future.
Watch the Documentary
Short-crested Coquette: Conserving the Great Little Treasure in the Sierra de Atoyac! shares the species, its remarkable habitat, and the collaborative conservation work underway to protect it.
Help Anthony Reach the Next At-Risk Hummingbird
Like my journey into the Sierra de Atoyac in Guerrero to photograph the Critically Endangered Short-crested Coquette, many of the hummingbirds still ahead survive in remote, highly restricted habitats that can be difficult to reach. Photographing species like this gives me the opportunity not only to document their beauty, but also to bring greater visibility to how vulnerable their futures have become.
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 Short-crested Coquette Conservation
Follow the research, community education, habitat protection, and conservation efforts helping protect this Critically Endangered hummingbird found only in the Sierra de Atoyac of Guerrero, Mexico.
