The Story
I photographed this male Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in diffuse green light under a thick canopy. It was perched at mid-level in a shaded spot just after sunrise. His bright red head, white collar, green back and yellow-orange underparts stood out, and he turned his head toward the light. The species ranges from Costa Rica to Peru. Clutches hold two to five eggs, and the female incubates at night while both parents share the daytime. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −0.5 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18, where La Minga sits, is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) belongs to the family Capitonidae (New World Barbets) 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 decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List