The Story
I photographed this Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus) at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia. The Yellow-hooded Blackbird nests mainly in colonies, of up to 100 nests, in rice fields and in or near marshes. Males are polygynous, sometimes with several females at once. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Venezuela. It forages mostly in grass and low vegetation, and cultivated rice is an important part of its diet. La Palmita is a civil-society nature reserve in Trinidad that protects about 400 hectares of flooded savanna and 250 hectares of forest. IUCN lists the Yellow-hooded Blackbird 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 100. La Palmita’s research center also monitors the savanna’s birds and mammals and rehabilitates and releases wildlife rescued from illegal trafficking.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus) 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 increasing. Source: IUCN Red List