The Story
This Blue-winged Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus somptuosus) was photographed at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,000 meters. It is mostly bright yellow and black, with blue in the wings and tail, and some populations have a moss-green back. It lives in highland forest and woodland in the Andes of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, with a separate population in Venezuela’s Coastal Range. It is a common species, and its populations appear to be stable. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/1000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, −1 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Blue-winged Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus somptuosus) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List