The Story
I photographed this juvenile Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) at Finca La Florida, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 2,020 meters, in February 2021. Immature birds of both sexes look like females but are duller, and females lack the male’s yellow mantle and black belly patch. The species is endemic to Colombia’s Western and Central Andes, mostly between 1,300 and 2,200 meters. In Valle del Cauca it is a year-round resident, fairly common even in small forest fragments. IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/750 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. 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.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2019), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List