The Story
I photographed this juvenile Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) at Entreaguas Reserva Natural in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. 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. It mostly forages in pairs and small groups and often joins mixed-species flocks. Both sexes build the nest, a globe with a side entrance made of twigs, leaves and plant fibers. The reserve lies in the Coello-Cocora area west of Ibagué, on the way toward Cajamarca, and its trails pass a series of waterfalls.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Thick-billed Euphonia as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 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