The Story
I photographed this Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) at the Kairi Lodge Natural Reserve, near Manizales, Caldas, Colombia, in February 2020. It usually lives below 900 meters, but in Central and South America it is often found above 1,000 meters. Its nests hang in the canopy of mature trees at least 7 meters tall. Its song is a series of clear whistles, like that of the Spot-breasted Oriole. Immature birds look like adult females but are greener. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Destino Caldas counts 142 bird species on Kairi’s single hectare, where gardens are planted to draw hummingbirds.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) belongs to the family Icteridae (Troupials and Allies) 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
