The Story
I photographed this Gray-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata) at Entreaguas Reserva Natural, near Coello in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It is found from Mexico through Central America and much of South America and is a year-round resident. It eats a wide variety of insects with small amounts of fruit and seeds. Only males sing, and their song varies from region to region. Pairs build the nest, a small loose cup of plant fibers, and the female incubates alone for about 14 to 16 days. It often follows army ant swarms to catch insects fleeing the ants. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 3200. Entreaguas, in the Coello–Cocora area of Ibagué, offers ecological walks and birdwatching tours.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Gray-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata) 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 2018), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List