The Story
I photographed this Black-tailed Tityra (Tityra cayana) at the Reserva Natural El Danubio, near Morelia, Caquetá, Colombia, in January 2021. It often perches in plain view while it feeds on medium-sized fruit. Adults eat mostly fruit and help spread the seeds of trees such as Cabralea canjerana, while most of the large insects they catch go to their young. It rarely joins mixed-species flocks. Its call is a short buzzing ed, rek or wenk, given more often in flight than when perched. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/750 sec, f/16, ISO 3200. Its founder and manager, Iván Salazar, invites families to come and learn about regenerative tourism, plant a tree and enjoy the clear waters of the Bodoquero, Hacha and Pescado rivers.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black-tailed Tityra (Tityra cayana) belongs to the family Tityridae (Tityras and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
