Golden Tanager

The Story

I made this photo of a Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) at Ecoparque Los Alcázares in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. The Golden Tanager is widespread and often common in the highland forests of the Andes, from Bolivia northward, and in the Venezuelan Coastal Range. Its plumage is golden yellow overall, with black on the back, wings, tail and ear coverts. Ecoparque Los Alcázares Arenillo protects 34 hectares of high Andean humid forest on the southwest side of Manizales, at 1,900 to 2,000 meters. IUCN lists the Golden Tanager as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.

I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. The ecoparque works to protect the wildlife that moves along Manizales’ natural corridors and to help restore the city’s ecological capital.

The bird

The Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers 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 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List