The Botanical Garden of Bogotá is the venue for the exhibition "Quito Jardín de Quindes", a display of 65 sculptures representing the hummingbird, the emblematic bird of the city of Quito, whose name in Quechua is "Quinde".
This urban art and environmental education project is being presented within the framework of the Climate Change Summit that began in Bogotá on November 18 and will continue until November 25. The inauguration was attended by the Mayors of Quito and Bogotá.
65 hummingbirds, each 1.70 meters tall, arrived by air to Bogotá and with their wings spread over a base of 1.10 meters, they are now perching in the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden.
This is the exhibition "Quito Jardín de Quindes", a display of 65 sculptures representing the hummingbird, the emblematic bird of the city of Quito, whose name in Quechua is "Quinde", and which comes from the Ecuadorian capital, with the aim of bringing citizens closer to the knowledge and appropriation of the Natural Heritage of our country.
The exhibition is a sample of the 130 species of hummingbirds that exist in Ecuador, of which 54 are found in the capital. The sculptures were made by the Ecuadorian artist Nixon Córdova. They are made of synthetic resin with a finish similar to white marble. The works were intervened by artists, painters, sculptors, architects, graffiti artists, advertising agencies, art schools and universities, who were in charge of giving color to the sculptures.
The journey of the “Quindes” is an effort to unite cities in matters of environmental education, culture and appropriation of public space. The exhibition, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Sports and the Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation, is now in Bogotá after having toured several cities in Ecuador: Ambato, Guayaquil, Quevedo and Cuenca, being considered by the media and citizens as the most visited urban art exhibition in our country.
«During the two-month exhibition, the «Quindes» can be visited by Colombians and foreigners at the Botanical Garden of Bogotá, which is a source of pride for the people of Quito, as the animal represents our identity. With this exhibition, we will send an environmental message to confront climate change through art and culture, and we will extend the invitation to preserve several of these species, which are in danger of extinction due to the accelerated destruction of the environment. Latin America is a land of artists and it is from this sphere that we fight,» said María Sol Corral, Vice Mayor of Quito.
Quito, World Capital of Birds
The project is based on the extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna in Ecuador, one of the five megadiverse countries on the planet. The bird group is particularly important within Ecuador's rich biodiversity.
Ecuador is the fourth country in the world in terms of the number of bird species present in the territory, however when establishing the relationship between the number of bird species and the size of the country, Ecuador occupies first place.
The 1,659 bird species recorded in the 256,370 km2 of Ecuadorian territory make it the "country of birds". The Metropolitan District of Quito is home to nearly a third of Ecuador's ornithological wealth (542 species), which is why it is considered the "World Capital of Birds".
There are 130 species of hummingbirds in Ecuador, about half of them in Quito, which has high subtropical regions and also moorlands over 4,000 meters high. Unfortunately, several of these species are in danger of extinction due to the accelerated destruction of habitat and pollution, so what you see in the exhibition "Quindes Garden" is a call for their conservation.
Of iridescent colors, the quindes have special aerodynamics and the articulation of their wings allows them extreme agility, such as stopping in flight and flying backwards. They flap their wings about sixty times per second, an activity for which they require the highly energetic food provided by the nectar of flowers, so they have developed beaks with a shape and size in relation to the flowers they feed on.
The smallest hummingbird can measure five centimetres and weigh 10 to 12 grams, and the largest, 23 centimetres and between 15 and 18 grams. At such a small size, they are giants in the chain of life due to their role as pollinators.
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