The Story
I photographed this Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It adapts well to people, often visits gardens, and is nicknamed the sugar bird for its fondness for sugar feeders. It builds a round nest with a side entrance, and only the female incubates the eggs. It also eats fruit, including mistletoe berries and ripe bananas. Its slender, curved bill is built for taking nectar, and it sometimes pierces flowers from the side to steal nectar without pollinating them. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
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 6400. Tauramena’s mayor’s office says birding days like the Global Big Day help build birdwatching as a sustainable activity in the town.
©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