The Story
This juvenile Variegated Flycatcher (Empidonomus varius) was at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia when I photographed it. It is found on Trinidad and in every mainland South American country except Chile. In Brazil it lives from sea level to about 1,200 meters. The southern population leaves its breeding range in the austral winter and moves north. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas.
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 Variegated Flycatcher as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Variegated Flycatcher (Empidonomus varius) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List