The Story
I photographed this Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It breeds from southern Arizona and Texas through Central and South America to central Argentina. It watches from a high, open perch and makes long, acrobatic flights to catch insects in mid-air. It eats beetles, bees, wasps, termites, butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers, along with some berries and fruit. Its call is a high, twittering trill, and males sing a more complex version at dawn. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/3200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400. It is one of the most widespread and conspicuous birds of open forest, forest edge, scrub and farmland, and its population is increasing.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) 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 2022), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List
