The Story
I photographed this Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster) at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It perched on a narrow branch. His deep violet-blue upperparts and bright yellow crown balanced the soft greens of the forest, and the diffused light kept the texture in his feathers. Euphonias move quickly through mid-level foliage and rarely sit still in open light. His underparts are yellow with an ochre tinge on the belly. The species ranges from Panama to Bolivia and Brazil, mostly from sea level to 2,300 meters. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 6400, −0.5 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18, where La Minga sits, is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster) belongs to the family Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, 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
