The Story
I photographed this Olive-gray Saltator (Saltator olivascens) at Hacienda El Escobal in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It was long treated as part of the Bluish-gray Saltator, and eBird now treats the two as separate species. It is found in edge habitats, shrubland, wetlands and second growth, and it does well in orchards, gardens and around homes. Fruit and leaves make up about 64 percent of its diet, and it feeds its chicks protein-rich insects. Both sexes look alike, and both males and females sing, sometimes in duets. Cortolima lists El Escobal, on the Meseta de Ibagué, among the city’s 13 priority birding routes.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Olive-gray Saltator as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Olive-gray Saltator (Saltator olivascens) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List