The Story
I photographed this Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. Its name comes from its yellow color and the word quit, used for small tropical American birds. Its slender, curved bill is built for taking nectar, and it sometimes pierces flowers from the side to steal nectar without pollinating them. It has to perch while it feeds, since it cannot hover like a hummingbird. It also eats fruit, including mistletoe berries and ripe bananas. It builds a round nest with a side entrance, and only the female incubates the eggs.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Bananaquit as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List