The Story
This Golden-naped Tanager (Chalcothraupis ruficervix) was photographed at Finca Alejandría, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in montane forest. Its turquoise plumage and golden nape stand out against the subdued tones of the forest, and the light picked up the iridescence and texture of its feathers. It is the only mostly blue tanager with a golden nape. It lives in the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia, and the name ruficervix means red nape. Its natural habitats are humid montane forest and heavily degraded former forest. 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 3200, −1 EV. Finca Alejandría sits at Kilometer 18 on the road from Cali to Buenaventura.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Golden-naped Tanager (Chalcothraupis ruficervix) 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