The Story
I photographed this Santa Marta Brushfinch (Atlapetes melanocephalus) in the Cincinati area above Minca, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, at about 1,495 meters. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and is found there mostly between 1,500 and 3,200 meters. It forages in pairs or small groups on or near the ground for insects, seeds and small fruits, and groups regularly lead mixed-species flocks. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/180 sec, f/6.7, ISO 6400. The Sierra Nevada is the highest coastal range in the tropics, and its roughly 17,000 square kilometers feed 36 rivers across Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Santa Marta Brushfinch (Atlapetes melanocephalus) belongs to the family Passerellidae (New World Sparrows) 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 stable. Source: IUCN Red List
