The Story
This Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) was at Ecohotel La Fortuna in Yopal, Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. It breeds from Panama, Venezuela and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil. It is mostly black, with a bright yellow rump, tail base, lower belly and wing patches. The females build the hanging nests, 30 to 45 centimeters long, at the ends of branches, and they compete for sites near wasp nests. The male’s song mixes fluting notes with cackles and wheezes, sometimes with mimicry. Yopal is the capital of Casanare.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200. IUCN lists the Yellow-rumped Cacique as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) 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