The Story
This female Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) was photographed at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 1,930 meters. Flowerpiercers are tanagers that take nectar from flowers, and this species is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are humid montane forest, high-elevation shrubland and heavily degraded former forest. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. They reach nectar by piercing the base of the flower with an upswept bill that has a hook at the tip.
I photographed her with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/1500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List