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 lives nowhere else but these mountains and stays year-round. It has been seen eating insects, seeds and small fruits, and it often leads the mixed flocks that move through the forest. It mostly ranges between 1,500 and 3,200 meters. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Its diet and foraging behavior have not been studied in detail, but it often leads mixed-species flocks.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/180 sec, f/6.7, ISO 6400. These mountains rise from the Caribbean coast to 5,700 meters, apart from the Andes, and they are the source of 36 rivers.
©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
