INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Zoo is awarding $1 million to save a newly-discovered species of hummingbird in Ecuador.
The Blue-Throated Hillstar was first discovered in 2017. Now, fewer than 110 adult birds remain.
The zoo is giving the money to the Ecuadorian conservation group Fundación Jocotoco. They are the first winners of the Saving Species Challenge.
Fundación Jocotoco was chosen by a jury of international animal conservation experts out of 52 applications from 46 countries.
“We are witnessing a global decline in biodiversity, and the Indianapolis Zoo is determined to make a positive difference," Indianapolis Zoo President and CEO Dr. Robert Shumaker said in a statement. "We are honored to support the work of Fundación Jocotoco, and I am confident the Blue-Throated Hillstar can be saved."
The Hillstar is found within only 24 square miles of a cold, high-elevation area of the isolated Chillan Mountain range in southwestern Ecuador.
"Habitat loss due to mining and frequent burning is responsible for the bird’s classification as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)," the zoo said.
Fundación Jocotoco created the Cerro de Arcos Reserve to protect the Blue-Throated Hillstar shortly after it was discovered. The group will now use the grant to help expand protected land to ensure the bird's survival.
"We know we can succeed because we’ve done it before—like saving the critically endangered Pale- Headed Brushfinch," Jocotoco CEO Dr. Martin Schaefer said. "Once reduced to just 50 individuals, Jocotoco protected the brushfinch's last habitat, and the population quickly increased fivefold."