The Story
I photographed this Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus) at Hato Barley in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups but does not join mixed-species flocks. Its range includes French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Brazil. It lives in grassy areas with scattered trees near rivers and marshes, and in gallery forest. It perches in the open on small trees and bushes but forages mostly on the ground, especially in mud near water. One of its calls is a screech like a rusty hinge.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Oriole Blackbird as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus) 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List