The Story
This Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) was at Hacienda El Retorno in La Chamba, Guamo, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. It forages mostly on the ground in flocks that often include other blackbirds. Where people live it eats food scraps and has been known to enter restaurants. It nests alone or in small colonies, and one tree may hold a dozen nests. Pairs display by raising and spreading their tails and shaking their open wings. Guamo is known as the cattle capital of Tolima, and three rivers run through the municipality: the Luisa, the Magdalena and the Saldaña.
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 800. IUCN lists the Carib Grackle as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) belongs to the family Icteridae (Troupials 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List