The Story
I photographed this female Orange-fronted Yellow-Finch (Sicalis columbiana) at Hato El Diamante, near San Luis de Palenque, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. Its subspecies columbiana is the one found in Colombia and Venezuela. It lives in semi-open areas, usually near water and sometimes near people. The female is olive-gray with whitish underparts and yellow in the wings and tail. The male looks much like a Saffron Finch but is smaller, with a more contrasting orange forehead. Posada Hato El Diamante is a small lodge in the vereda El Merey, on the road from San Luis de Palenque to Trinidad, where guests can fish and hike.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. For now, IUCN lists the Orange-fronted Yellow-Finch as Least Concern, and its population appears to be stable.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Orange-fronted Yellow-Finch (Sicalis columbiana) 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List