The Story
I photographed this Andean Solitaire (Myadestes ralloides) along the Trampolín de la Muerte, the mountain road above Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia. It is found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and is mostly a year-round resident. It feeds on insects and fruit, and it builds a cup nest of moss lined with rootlets on a log or an earthen bank. It is considered common in Venezuela, fairly common in Colombia and Peru, and widespread in Ecuador. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/1000 sec, f/11, ISO 6400, +1 EV. The road from San Francisco to Mocoa opened in 1944 and runs between about 600 and 2,800 meters.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Andean Solitaire (Myadestes ralloides) belongs to the family Turdidae (Thrushes 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