The Story
I photographed this Pale-naped Brushfinch (Atlapetes pallidinucha) at Pueblito Antiguo in Cuítiva, by Lago de Tota, Boyacá, Colombia, at about 3,040 meters. Its yellow underparts show well here, and the species is named for its pale nape. It is a year-round resident wherever it occurs. Its population size is not known, but it is believed to be stable across a large range, and it often travels with mixed-species flocks. 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 1/500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 6400. Cuítiva sits on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense between Sogamoso, Aquitania and Tota, and its lands run from about 2,700 to 3,200 meters beside Lago de Tota, Colombia’s largest lake.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Pale-naped Brushfinch (Atlapetes pallidinucha) 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