Swarovski Optik Helps Protect Critically Endangered Hummingbird in Colombia

When Fundación ProAves identified a key population of the critically endangered Colorful Puffleg, one of the world’s most threatened hummingbirds, and revealed that its population was at risk, Swarovski Optik immediately offered to help ABC protect the species. The site, located in montane forests in the western Andes of Colombia, was designated by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as in need of immediate protection to prevent extinction of the puffleg, estimated at only 50-250 individuals. The grant from Swarovski enabled ProAves to swiftly create the “Reserva de Aves Mirabilis-Swarovski,” protecting the only remaining habitat for the puffleg and another critically endangered species, the Munchique Wood-Wren, along with 16 other threatened bird species and two endangered frog species. Just one year after the land was purchased, a record number of the hummingbirds were observed in the reserve, further emphasizing the significance of Swarovski’s gift. ProAves continues to study and monitor Colorful Puffleg populations in the reserve and elsewhere.