The Story
This Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) perched on a slender branch near Capurganá, in Chocó, Colombia, its gray back, black cap and long forked tail set against soft greenery. It is named for that tail, which is longest in males, and it lives in shrubland, savanna, grassland and lightly wooded country from southern Mexico to Argentina. It watches from conspicuous perches and sallies out after insects. Birds in the north of the range mostly stay year-round, while southern birds migrate. 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 1/60 sec, f/16, ISO 3200. Capurganá can be reached only by boat or small plane, and it has no cars, which keeps the village and its forest edges quiet for birds like this one.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List