The Story
I made this photo of a Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) at Hato Mata de Palma in Casanare, Colombia. The Capped Heron lives in tropical lowlands from central Panama to southern Brazil, almost always in rainforest. It is found up to about 900 meters. It hunts insects in the vegetation along rivers and ponds, and fish in the shallows. Hato Mata de Palma is one of three ranches, with Altamira and Montana, that make up El Encanto de Guanapalo, a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Capped Heron as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. The families who run its ranches work to keep the savanna from being cleared, burned or plowed, and to keep llanero culture alive for the next generation.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) belongs to the family Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) 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