The Story
This Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus) was at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. The Venezuelan Troupial is found in Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Trinidad and Puerto Rico. It does not build a nest of its own, but takes over a vacant nest or drives other birds from an active one. It breeds from March to September. La Palmita’s research center has recorded 250 bird species and 39 bat species in the flooded savannas of Trinidad. IUCN lists the Venezuelan Troupial as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 5000. La Palmita conserves its flooded savannas through its cattle ranching and has welcomed visitors since 2013, so every stay supports sustainable tourism in the region.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus) belongs to the family Icteridae (Troupials 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List