The Story
I photographed this Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) along the Quebrada Las Doradas in El Caraño, in the hills above Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2020. It lives in humid forest near rivers, streams and ponds from Guatemala to Brazil. When it spreads its wings, bright eyespots show, which it uses in courtship, in threat displays and to startle predators. It eats insects, crabs, shrimp, fish, tadpoles and frogs. It builds an open nest in a tree and lays two eggs with blotched markings. 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 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400, −1 EV. El Caraño holds the main intake for Florencia’s drinking water, and the Salto del Río Caraño is one of its best-known natural attractions.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) belongs to the family Eurypygidae (Sunbittern) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
