The Story
This Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) stood in the dense green in the Mocagua Indigenous community, a Ticuna resguardo beside Amacayacu National Natural Park in Amazonas, Colombia, showing its black cap, blue facial skin and creamy yellow neck. It is the only species in its genus and one of the least known members of the heron family. Found almost only in rainforest lowlands, usually alone, it hunts mainly fish, along with aquatic insects and larvae, tadpoles and frogs. 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 6400, −0.5 EV. In Mocagua, the Fundación Maikuchiga rehabilitates monkeys rescued from illegal wildlife trafficking.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) belongs to the family Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
