The Story
I photographed this female Velvet-fronted Euphonia (Euphonia concinna) at Hacienda El Retorno in La Chamba, Guamo, Tolima, Colombia. It lives mainly along the edges of dry woodland, in ranchland with scattered trees and along lightly wooded streams. It forages mostly in pairs or family groups. Both sexes call with a clear, high dee-dee. It has a restricted range. It is found only in the upper Magdalena River valley of Colombia. It usually forages high in trees and seldom joins other euphonias. The male has a small yellow forecrown and blue-black upperparts, while the female is mostly olive. Guamo is known as the cattle capital of Tolima, and three rivers run through the municipality: the Luisa, the Magdalena and the Saldaña.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Velvet-fronted Euphonia as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Velvet-fronted Euphonia (Euphonia concinna) belongs to the family Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, 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