The Story
I photographed this Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,000 meters, in February 2021. It lives in cloud forest, edges and secondary forest of the northern Andes, preferring mossy trees. It forages in pairs or small groups within mixed-species flocks, often with other tanagers, and it eats more fruit than any other species in its genus. Habitat destruction may threaten it, though IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/2000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, −0.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, its forest and its water sources.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List