The Story
I photographed this Pied Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola pica) at the Hacienda El Triunfo Private Nature Reserve, near Honda, Tolima, Colombia, in October 2019. Males are mostly white, with a black hindcrown and nape, black wings and a mottled black-and-white back. It is described as active and perky, constantly flicking its tail down and up. It feeds on insects, gleaning them from floating and emergent plants, from the water’s surface and from open ground. It often sits on low perches such as fence posts and floating vegetation. Both sexes build the nest, a round ball of dry grass and leaves with a side entrance, lined with feathers. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. Local guides keep checking the camera-trap sites set up with Imperial College London and the Universidad de los Andes, as part of long-term monitoring.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Pied Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola pica) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List