The Story
I photographed this Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It is a tiny, big-headed flycatcher with a long, flat bill, weighing 4 to 8 grams. It forages very actively, hopping sideways along branches with its tail cocked and wagging. Both sexes build a messy hanging pouch nest with a side entrance under a little visor, sometimes near a wasp nest. In Colombia it lives up to 2,200 meters, and the nominate subspecies covers the three Andean ranges and Meta. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200. Tauramena was founded in 1663 by Governor Pedro Ordóñez de Vargas with Achagua people from the Upía and Cusiana rivers.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List
