The Story
I photographed this Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) at Finca Alejandría, known as El Paraíso de los Colibríes, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, a place rich in birds. Its red head, green back and yellow belly stand out against the greenery, and soft, diffused light through the forest canopy brought out its colors. Males have a red head, an orange to yellow breast and a white collar separating the head from the olive-green back. The species ranges from Costa Rica to Peru, between 400 and 2,400 meters, and eats caterpillars, other insects and fruit. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. Finca Alejandría sits at Kilometer 18 on the road from Cali to Buenaventura.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) belongs to the family Capitonidae (New World Barbets) 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