The Story
I photographed this Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) at Hacienda La Cabaña, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It is the only member of its genus, and its name comes from Greek and Latin words for fighter and quarrelsome. It follows cattle and other large animals, and even rides on them, to snatch the insects they flush. It feeds on insects, mostly from the ground, and is a very terrestrial flycatcher. It lives in open, drier country such as savanna, pasture and farmland, and it avoids forest. It has been seen hunting horseflies that try to land on capybaras.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/2500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. IUCN lists the Cattle Tyrant as Least Concern, and its population appears to be stable.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) belongs to the family Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers) 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 stable. Source: IUCN Red List