The Story
This juvenile Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) was at the Jardín Botánico del Quindío in Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia when I photographed it on July 17, 2018. Nests are usually well hidden, in tree cavities, among epiphytes and vines, or in branch forks. In northern Colombia it lives in forest edges and clearings, gallery forest, farmland, gardens and trees around houses. The Jardín Botánico del Quindío in Calarcá is a scientific research and environmental education center, and it was the first legally constituted botanical garden in Colombia. IUCN lists the Thick-billed Euphonia as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 16000. The garden opened to the public in 2000, supports itself with help from the community and partner organizations, and has been a leader in ecotourism in the region.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) belongs to the family Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, 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 2020), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List