THIS WEEK’S THEME: RUFOUS
Not quite red. Not quite brown. Rufous is one of those wonderfully distinctive colors birders quickly learn to recognize—a rich, warm reddish-brown that can appear on a crown, collar, breast, tail, or sometimes nearly the entire bird.
And apparently five days just aren’t enough for this one.
This week we’re expanding the Daily Photo Series to seven days, traveling from North America through Central America and into South America to meet seven very different birds united by one thing: somewhere in their plumage is that unmistakable touch of rufous.
Scientific name
Baryphthengus martii
Taxonomic group
Momotidae — Motmots
Click photograph to view full size
A photograph is worth a thousand words, but the story makes it worth a few more.
BACKSTORY
Clearly a wanna-be carryover from last week’s Long-tailed series, the Rufous Motmot seems determined to qualify on two counts. But that rich rusty-orange head and breast make it a perfect bird to kick off our week celebrating RUFOUS.
The Rufous Motmot was one of the birds I fully expected to photograph during my trip to Costa Rica. I saw plenty of wonderful birds there, but somehow this big, colorful motmot managed to elude my shutter for the entire trip.
Fortunately, Ecuador gave me another chance.
At Tandayapa Bird Lodge near Mindo, a pair of Rufous Motmots regularly visited the feeding area in the mornings. Instead of hoping for one fleeting encounter, I suddenly had repeated opportunities to photograph a species that had completely frustrated me in Costa Rica.
And what a bird to finally get in front of the camera. The rich rufous head and underparts contrast beautifully with the green wings, black facial mask, turquoise-blue tail and those distinctive racket-tipped tail feathers. It’s a combination of colors and shapes that somehow looks both exotic and perfectly at home in a tropical forest.
Sometimes missing a bird the first time around just makes the eventual photograph that much sweeter.
IMAGE DETAILS
LOCATION INFORMATION: Tandayapa Bird Lodge · Ecuador · November 7, 202
EQUIPMENT INFORMATION: Canon EOS R5 · Canon RF 100–500mm F4.5–7.1 L IS USM + RF 1.4x Extender
SETTINGS INFORMATION: 270mm · ƒ/5.6 · 1/200 sec · ISO 5000