With this series of images I would like to share an example of fine tuning an image background.

Kōtare/Sacred Kingfisher are notoriously wary and hard to approach so when I saw one land in a tree in nice light I took a quick image.

The bird was angled away from me so moving to the right would give a more parallel view but brought part of the foliage too close to the front of the bird spoiling the composition.

Moving to the left opened the space in front of the bird.

Moving a little further brought a shaded part of a distant hill into play as a background. Waiting for a slight head turn resulted in the final image.

Background management is crucial to maximizing the options available in presenting your subject. Small factors such as a patch of shade on a distant hill can be useful tools if you keep an eye out for anything that can help. 

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800m f6.3 VR S