The Story
I photographed this Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) in the cloud forest at La Florida El Bosque de las Aves, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in February 2021. Light and shadow played across its golden-yellow plumage, and a narrow depth of field set it against a soft background. Its plumage is golden-yellow overall, with black on the back, wings, tail and ear coverts. It is widespread and often common in highland forests of the Andes from Bolivia northward and in Venezuela’s Coastal Range. Its genus name, Tangara, comes from a Tupí word meaning dancer. 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 1/500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2024 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