The Story
This Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata) perched on a branch near San Pablo de Borbur, in Boyacá, Colombia, its black mask and red facial skin standing out against pale plumage. It feeds mostly on fruit, also taking invertebrates and the occasional small lizard, and it nests in tree cavities, often old woodpecker holes. Both sexes have a slightly hooked rosy-red bill with a black tip, and the nest sits on a bed of dead leaves, twigs and plant fibers.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/125 sec, f/16, ISO 800, −0.5 EV. IUCN lists the Masked Tityra as Least Concern, and because it nests in old woodpecker holes, it depends on standing dead and hollow trees.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata) belongs to the family Tityridae (Tityras 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List