The Story
I photographed this Chestnut-capped Puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus) at the Raudal del Guayabero, near San José del Guaviare, Guaviare, Colombia, in February 2021. Its plumage is unique among puffbirds, with a chestnut crown, a bright reddish orange nape, black cheeks and throat, and a white band below. It is 14 to 16.5 centimeters long. The IOC and Clements lists place it in Bucco, while BirdLife International’s Handbook of the Birds of the World puts it alone in the genus Cyphos. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/90 sec, f/6.7, ISO 6400, +1 EV. The Raudal del Guayabero is a narrows where the Guayabero River runs between the Serranía de La Lindosa and the Serranía de la Macarena, about 38 kilometers by fast boat from San José del Guaviare.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Chestnut-capped Puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus) belongs to the family Bucconidae (Puffbirds) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing (listed by IUCN as Cyphos macrodactylus). Source: IUCN Red List