The Story
On June 28, 2017, I photographed this Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) at the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia. It ranges from southeastern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and lives in almost any open or semi-open habitat, often near people. It copes well with towns and suburbs, including gardens and parks. Its songs have been studied closely by scientists since the 1970s. The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden is Colombia’s largest botanical garden, with an emphasis on Andean and páramo ecosystems.
I used a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/22, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Rufous-collared Sparrow as Least Concern with an increasing population, and the garden keeps five special collections for Andean plants in danger of extinction, among them orchids and bromeliads.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) belongs to the family Passerellidae (New World Sparrows) 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