The Story
I made this photo of a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) at Líbano, Tolima, Colombia. It breeds in semi-open areas with trees and shrubs, including gardens and roadsides. In most of its range pairs are permanent residents and stay together all year. It watches from a prominent open perch, often high in a tree, and catches insects in mid-air. Its prey includes beetles, bees, wasps, termites, butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers. It breeds from southern Arizona and Texas through Central and South America to central Argentina. Líbano’s economy rests on farming, cattle and tourism. Coffee is the center of Líbano’s economy and culture.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Tropical Kingbird as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) belongs to the family Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2022), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List