The Story
I photographed this Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) in the Cincinati area above Minca, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, at about 1,480 meters. Like other flowerpiercers, it uses its upswept, hook-tipped bill to pierce the base of a flower and reach nectar that would otherwise be out of reach. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, in humid montane forest and high shrubland. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/1500 sec, f/11, ISO 6400, −2 EV. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated range, separate from the Andes, that rises to 5,700 meters just 42 kilometers from the Caribbean coast.
©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