The Story
This Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) was at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia when I photographed it. 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. It ranges from Mexico south to northeastern Bolivia and northern Brazil. It lives mainly on fruit but also takes some nectar and insects. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates. La Macarena is part of the Sierra de la Macarena and of the Macarena Special Management Area, which brings together several protected areas.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Blue-gray Tanager as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2020 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