The Story
I photographed this Yellow-browed Sparrow (Ammodramus aurifrons) near Belén de los Andaquíes, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2020. It once lived mainly along rivers and on islands, but it has benefited from clearing for farms and cattle and is now widespread in grassy places across the Amazon, including fields, roadsides and towns. It nests on the ground in a grass clump. The male sings his buzzy song all day from a low, exposed perch. Belén itself was founded in 1917 and has declared itself a green municipality that protects its water. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
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 800. Ten kilometers from town, the Posada de los Andakíes reserve offers birdwatching, kayaking on the Pescado River and canyoning.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-browed Sparrow (Ammodramus aurifrons) belongs to the family Passerellidae (New World Sparrows) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List