The Story
I photographed this Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) group on the branches of a wax palm in the forests near Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,600 meters, in October 2020. They are social and gather in flocks of one to two dozen, and several birds may cooperate in raising chicks, which improves their survival. A pair can raise up to two broods a year. Besides wax palm fruit, they eat other fruit and seeds, bark, buds and ferns. IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable.
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 3200. ProAves protects the Yellow-eared Parrot and the wax palm in its Reserva ProAves Loro Fuertesi in Cajamarca, and each Palm Sunday it takes its conservation campaign to Cajamarca and Roncesvalles.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) belongs to the family Psittacidae (New World and African Parrots) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List