21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
The Stretch of the “Maria Mulata”

Just before signing, many of the male Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) of Cartagena (nicknamed “Maria Mulatas” by the locals) contort and stretch their bodies in many surprising and dramatic ways. This is just one of those stretches.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Cartagena, Colombia
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Copyright: © Juan David Cortes Echeverria