The Story
This Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) was at La Huerta Hotel at Lago Calima, in Yotoco, Valle del Cauca, Colombia when I photographed it. Females build a shallow open cup nest and incubate the eggs, and the male feeds the female during incubation. Both parents feed the chicks, which are ready to fledge after about 15 days. Its song is variable and plays an important part in holding a territory. Lago Calima is a reservoir of about 19 square kilometers, built for a hydroelectric project and later taken over by the regional environmental agency, the CVC. IUCN lists the Vermilion Flycatcher as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600, −2 EV. Nearby, the Bosque de Yotoco forest reserve protects 1,425 hectares that supply water to Yotoco and more than ten rural aqueducts.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List