The Story
This Oriole Blackbird (Gymnomystax mexicanus) was at Hato Altamira in Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. The Oriole Blackbird 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. Hato Altamira is one of three ranches, with Mata de Palma and Montana, that make up El Encanto de Guanapalo, a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Oriole Blackbird as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. El Encanto de Guanapalo pays for its conservation through traditional cattle ranching, ecotourism and carbon credits, using the Cataruben Foundation’s Co2Bio model.
©2022 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