The Story
I photographed this Yellow Oriole (Icterus nigrogularis) at Hacienda Guadalajara in La Buitrera, Palmira, near the Pradera line in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, where open woodland edges meet the Andean foothills. It perched on a weathered stump. Its saturated gold and deep charcoal plumage stands out against the soft green background, in diffused natural light. In Colombia it lives in the north, from the Caribbean south to the middle Magdalena River, and separately in the east, with populations also in Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil and Trinidad. Its wings are mostly black, with white edges on the flight feathers. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/750 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −1.5 EV. Hacienda Guadalajara lies on the western flank of the Cordillera Central.
©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow Oriole (Icterus nigrogularis) 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List