The Story
I photographed this Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,000 meters, in February 2021. René Lesson described it in 1840 from a specimen taken near Caracas, and the species name honors the French bookseller Arthus Bertrand. It is also called the Chestnut-breasted Tanager, since some subspecies are partly or largely brown below. It is widespread and often common in highland forests of the Andes and Venezuela’s Coastal Range. 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 1/1000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, its forest and its water sources.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) 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 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List