Guatemala is home to a vast array of birdlife, from quetzals to macaws to toucans, earning it a reputation as a feather fancier’s favourite place in Central America.
For lovers of hummingbirds – known as colibri in the local dialect – Guatamala is without peer. On warm spring afternoons, the air becomes heavy with sound of their hovering. There are 38 varieties of the flamboyant avians, which lay claim to being the world’s smallest.
But there’s one variety of hummingbird that certainly wouldn’t fit in your hand, and they can only be found in the remote jungle village of Los Pocitos. Twitchers flock to this rustic scrap of concrete, which lays in the shadow of the simmering Volcán Pacaya, to marvel at Ebony y Ivory, Los ColibrÃes Gigantes.
Trust me, you won’t need a pair of binoculars to spot these beaky behemoths!
Frozen in the glory of eternal flight, Ebony y Ivory warmly welcome visitors to the sprawling Finca el Amate ecotourism resort. Chiseled from concrete and loving painted in exotic hues, their beautiful plumage is the personification of Guatemala’s sumptuous natural delights.
These lusciously curvy critters serve as a commentary on Guatemala’s ethnic diversity, and are a battle cry for racial harmony. If these two birds – one as white as the driven snow, the other as black as the gnarled lava fields that surround the town – can live together in perfect harmony, oh Lord why can’t we?
Humming the bassline
As they’re located outside Finca el Amate’s front gate, one need not pay to enter in order to enjoy Ebony y Ivory, but it’s highly recommended to do so. Inside you’ll find mind-boggling Bigs such as the brutally masculine Icus Kanan and the whimsical, oft-misunderstood El Anciano del Bosque. Guat a way to spend an afternoon!
There are several more humongous hummingbirds scattered around the finca’s verdant parkland, and it’s a joy to wander around, heart aflutter, searching for them. The spiritual home of the Bigs in Guatemala, Finca el Amate proves to be an intoxicating experience that’s sure to titillate visitors of all ages and fitness levels.
Keep your wits about you, however. There is a herd of elegant, yet somewhat bombastic, horses who roam the complex’s leafy car park. Great for taking fabulous photos of as they frolic past the radiant volcano; not so pleasant to step in their droppings whilst wearing thongs. Gordon, get me a sponge!
I’m a hummingbird, beautiful and free
It was whilst scraping some particularly robust droppings off my flip-flop that Gordon gestured to the ornately-arranged stone wall surrounding the birds and we sat down together.
“Bigs,” he sighed wistfully, “seeing Ebony y Ivory, two disparate species of hummingbird, put their differences to one side in the name of love, makes me mourn the loss of my own interracial relationship.”
“You’re talking about Brandy Norwood?” I asked gently. “Known mononymously, of course, as Brandy?”
“Yes. The media labelled us GorBran, but it never really caught on.” Gordon’s shoulders slumped under the weight of perceived failure. “I allowed societal pressure and ingrained colonialism to cloud my judgement and destroy what could have been a beautiful relationship built on mutual love and respect. I wonder if…”
“The last I heard, Brandy was taking a break from dating after her tumultuous relationship with award-winning pop star Sir the Baptist,” I reasoned.
“And she did take out a restraining order after that eggnog incident,” the little guy responded.
“TMZ had a field day.” I took Gordon in my muscular arms and we watched the sun set behind the giant hummingbirds, its rays reflecting on their wings as we reflected upon our failed love lives.
“You’re not the only one to weep for passion unrequited with a satin-skinned celebrity,” I said tenderly. “Not a moment passes that isn’t filled with endless pining for own stalled relationship with -“
“Hey, Bigs!” Gordon interrupted, a huge grin spreading across his furry face. “Do you think Grace Jones is available?”
