The Story
I photographed this Sooty Ant-Tanager (Driophlox gutturalis) at the Lost City of Falan, the ruins of the Spanish Reales Minas de Santa Ana in the humid forest of Falan, Tolima, Colombia, at about 740 meters. It perched on a branch against green foliage, showing its black plumage and red crown and throat. It lives only in Colombia, mainly in the middle Magdalena valley, where it keeps to the understory of humid forest, often near streams. Single birds and family groups take arthropods and some fruit within a few meters of the ground. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though much of the Magdalena valley forest has been cleared.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/45 sec, f/16, ISO 3200. The ruins of the 17th-century silver mines sit along a forest trail of about 5 kilometers, which local guides use for walks and birding.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Sooty Ant-Tanager (Driophlox gutturalis) belongs to the family Cardinalidae (Cardinals 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing (listed by IUCN as Habia gutturalis). Source: IUCN Red List