The Story
This female Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus) was at La Charca de Guarinocito in La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia when I photographed it. The Yellow-hooded Blackbird is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Venezuela. It forages mostly in grass and low vegetation, and cultivated rice is an important part of its diet. It nests mainly in colonies, of up to 100 nests, in rice fields and in or near marshes. Corpocaldas counts 135 plant species, 14 amphibians, 21 reptiles, 164 birds and 45 mammals at the charca. IUCN lists the Yellow-hooded Blackbird as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. In 2025 Corpocaldas zoned the charca for preservation, restoration and sustainable use, recognizing its role in community tourism and artisanal fishing.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus) 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 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List