The Story
This is a Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) that I photographed at the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia on June 28, 2017. It weaves a shallow, dangling basket nest of fine grasses, often hung from the tip of a palm frond. It is found from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Venezuela. Adults are bright yellow with a black face, throat, wings and tail, and the sexes look much alike. The garden grows plants from every altitude, climate and region of Colombia, grouped by their original ecosystems.
I photographed it with a Canon EOS 70D and the EF400mm f/5.6L USM, at 1/250 sec, f/18, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Yellow-backed Oriole as Least Concern with a decreasing population, and the garden, a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, runs conservation workshops and a science club for children.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) 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 2020), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List