The Story
I photographed this Black-crowned Tityra (Tityra inquisitor) at Ambalema, Tolima, Colombia. It lives from sea level to about 1,200 meters, and it also uses plantations and várzea forest. It feeds mostly on fruit, along with some invertebrates. Adult males have a mostly black head, while females have a black cap on a chestnut or rusty face. It forages alone, in pairs or in small family groups, and only rarely joins mixed flocks. Ambalema lies about 70 km northeast of Ibagué. Ambalema’s historic center and railway station are national monuments. Cortolima lists the Magdalena River at Ambalema and Venadillo among Tolima’s birding routes.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Black-crowned Tityra as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black-crowned Tityra (Tityra inquisitor) belongs to the family Tityridae (Tityras 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