The Story
I photographed this Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) at the Reserva Natural El Palmar, near Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, in October 2020. It ranges from Venezuela to Argentina, in moist montane forest, high-elevation shrubland and even heavily degraded former forest. Flowerpiercers get their name from piercing the base of a flower to steal nectar they could not otherwise reach, using an upswept bill with a hook at the tip. It is uncommon and rather local, found mostly between 1,500 and 3,000 meters, including in gardens. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. El Palmar is a forest reserve owned by Cortolima, the regional environmental agency, and covers 1,859 hectares between 1,900 and 4,000 meters.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List