The Story
I photographed this Black-fronted Nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons) at El Escondite Reserva Natural, near Villagarzón, Putumayo, Colombia, in October 2019. It is mostly sooty black with a bright red bill. It favors trees and bamboo along rivers and lakes and shuns terra firme forest. It follows troops of monkeys and army ant swarms to catch the insects they stir up. Its song of melodious whistles is often sung as a chorus by several birds. It nests in a hole dug into a bank or the ground. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. It is common to abundant in most of its range, though its numbers are believed to be decreasing.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black-fronted Nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons) belongs to the family Bucconidae (Puffbirds) 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
