The blue-throated hillstar hummingbird in all its glory is truly a dazzling creature to behold: a tiny fluttering blur covered in iridescent emerald and sapphire. It was only discovered in early 2019, yet almost as soon as we met this amazing creature, researchers realized that it may very well leave the Earth forever thanks to us. The hummingbird only lives in bush-lined rivers in a 45-square-foot area of Ecuador. Tragically, it’s the same area where precious metals exist, which humans will do anything to get their hands on. The threat to this bird’s habitat is simple: human greed. There is gold, copper and lead in the area and the people who want it don’t care how many undiscovered species they wipe out to get it.
The specter of mining threatens more creatures than this rare hummingbird. The same area, known as the paramo, is also home to other rarely-seen animals such as the spectacled bear, mountain tapir, and Andean condor. Experts believe that there are also more species yet unknown to us living in the paramo. There was even a new amphibian discovered there in July 2019, the Tiktik rainfrog. On top of that, nearly half a million people rely on clean water that flows down from these mountaintops — water that would be polluted and poisoned by mining activity. We have to speak out for this little bird and the people of Ecuador. We must urge the Ecuadorian government to enact immediate and strong protections for this land. Please sign the petition to save this mesmerizing bird!