The Story
This Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) was at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia when I photographed it. It breeds from southern Arizona and Texas through Central and South America to central Argentina. 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. Its prey includes beetles, bees, wasps, termites, butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Tropical Kingbird as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2020 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