The Story
I photographed this Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides) in the Vista Nieve area above Minca, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, at about 1,535 meters. Flowerpiercers are named for piercing the base of flowers to reach nectar that would otherwise be out of reach, using an upswept bill with a hooked tip. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, in humid montane forest, high shrubland and heavily degraded former forest. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/2000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −1 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