Female Baltimore Oriole Preening in the Arenal Forest

A female Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) pauses to preen among lichen-covered branches at Arenal Observatory Lodge in Costa Rica. Her yellow-orange underparts, olive-brown head and back, pointed bill and paired white wing bars distinguish the subtler female plumage from the black-and-orange adult male. The bowed head and lifted crown feathers create an intimate grooming portrait within the tangled forest canopy. Photographed without flash at 1/50 second, f/9 and ISO 1000, the frame retains fine detail in the stationary body while allowing a trace of movement in the disturbed head feathers.