The Story
I photographed this juvenile Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) at the Kairi Lodge Natural Reserve, near Manizales, Caldas, Colombia, in February 2020. Young birds have brown head stripes over buff instead of the adult pattern. In northern Argentina, females begin nesting when the wet season arrives at the end of October. The female spends about two-thirds of the day on the nest during incubation. The species has many forms, with smaller birds in coastal mountains and larger ones on the tepuis. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200. The reserve says it wants its staff, suppliers and guests to learn to value the natural resources around them.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) belongs to the family Passerellidae (New World Sparrows) 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