The Story
I made this photo of a Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris) at Hato Barley in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia. Males are larger than females. The male is mainly black, with a bright red throat, belly and shoulder patches. It has benefited from the open habitat created by forest clearing and ranching, and it is extending its range. It builds a deep, grass-lined cup nest on the ground among tall grasses, often with several nests close together. It is a gregarious bird that feeds mainly on insects and some seeds, foraging on the ground.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 800. IUCN lists the Red-breasted Meadowlark as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris) 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 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List