The Story
This Cinnamon Attila (Attila cinnamomeus) perched in the forest near Puerto Nariño, in Amazonas, Colombia, its cinnamon plumage close in tone to the branches around it. It is a bird of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It feeds mainly on large arthropods and also takes small amphibians and fruit, and a 2020 genetic study found its closest relative is the Rufous-tailed Attila. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/2000 sec, f/16, ISO 3200, −1 EV. The nearby Lagos de Tarapoto became a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2018, and the Ticuna, Cocama and Yagua communities around them keep agreements on responsible fishing.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Cinnamon Attila (Attila cinnamomeus) belongs to the family Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers) 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
