The Story
I photographed this Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana) at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. It almost always travels with mixed-species feeding flocks. It usually forages alone or in pairs, though groups of about 12 have been noted. In a study in Panama, more than a third of what it ate was Miconia berries. It also takes fruit from Cecropia and Clusia, and it will eat bananas at feeders. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. IUCN lists the Blue Dacnis as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana) 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 decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List