The Story
I photographed this Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) at the Jardín Botánico San Jorge in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It ranges from Mexico south to northeastern Bolivia and northern Brazil. It lives mainly on fruit but also takes some nectar and insects. It is a common, restless, noisy and confiding bird, usually seen in pairs. It does well around people and will take cultivated fruit such as papaya. Ibagué, the capital of Tolima, sits on the Central Andes between the Combeima Canyon and the Magdalena valley, near Nevado del Tolima.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, −1 EV. IUCN lists the Blue-gray Tanager as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) 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 increasing. Source: IUCN Red List