The Story
This Golden-naped Tanager (Chalcothraupis ruficervix) perched for a moment in a pocket of soft light in the cloud forest at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Its electric turquoise plumage, black crown and golden nape patch stood out against a defocused background of mossy green, in light diffused by fog and forest cover. This tanager moves quickly through the mid-canopy, and I followed it quietly until it held still. It is found in the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/250 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −0.5 EV. La Minga sits in the cloud forest of the Kilometer 18 area, about an hour from Cali.
©2025 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