The Story
I made this photo of an Orinoco Goose (Oressochen jubatus) at Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo in Casanare, Colombia. Some Bolivian birds travel about 700 kilometers to breed in Manú National Park in Peru. It is a plant eater that feeds mainly on leaves and seeds. It also eats aquatic algae in still water along rivers and oxbow lakes. El Encanto de Guanapalo brings together three ranches, Mata de Palma, Altamira and Montana, in a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Orinoco Goose as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. The families who run its ranches work to keep the savanna from being cleared, burned or plowed, and to keep llanero culture alive for the next generation.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Orinoco Goose (Oressochen jubatus) belongs to the family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) 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 (listed by IUCN as Neochen jubata). Source: IUCN Red List