The Story
I made this photo of a Pied Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola pica) at La Charca de Guarinocito in La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia. The Pied Water-Tyrant often sits on low perches like fence posts and floating plants. Both sexes build the nest, a round ball of dry grass and leaves with a side entrance near the top. It forages alone or in loose pairs, mostly in the open. The Charca de Guarinocito is an old channel of the Magdalena in La Dorada, protected since 1988 and now delimited by Corpocaldas at 167 hectares. IUCN lists the Pied Water-Tyrant 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 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. In 2025 Corpocaldas zoned the charca for preservation, restoration and sustainable use, recognizing its role in community tourism and artisanal fishing.
©2021 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