The Story
This Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) perched on a slender, moss-covered branch in the cloud forest at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Its emerald, turquoise and golden feathers gleamed against mist-shrouded foliage, and the curve of its bill and attentive gaze held a moment of stillness. This Colombian endemic lives in wet montane forest of the Western and Central Andes. IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.
I photographed it from about 6.1 meters with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/350 sec, f/6.7, ISO 400, −1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2019), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
