Giclee reprint of an original lithograph from John Gould’s A monograph of the Trochilidae, or family of humming-birds, published in London between 1849 and 1861.
 
John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds (1849–1861) is widely considered his ultimate masterwork and the pinnacle of 19th-century ornithological illustration.

Driven by a profound obsession with these "flying jewels," Gould dedicated over a decade to documenting 360 distinct hummingbird species across 418 hand-colored lithographic plates. His work captured the imagination of Victorian society, creating a massive public sensation when he exhibited his personal collection of taxidermied specimens at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

The Black-tailed Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus melanura), classified as a distinct subspecies of the Rufous-breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus), shares a highly specialized suite of biological traits unique to the hermit subfamily (Phaethornithinae). Unlike classic forest-canopy hummingbirds, hermits are heavily adapted for a quiet, solitary lifestyle in the dense shade of the tropical forest understory