The Story
I photographed this Magpie Tanager (Cissopis leverianus) in the vereda El Pepino, outside Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia. As its name suggests, this blue-black and white bird is reminiscent of a European magpie. It usually travels in conspicuous, noisy pairs or groups of up to 10 and often joins mixed-species flocks. In some regions it is spreading as deforestation opens up its habitat. Its cup-shaped nest sits low in a tree or shrub. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/1000 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −1 EV. Local residents built the trail to the Fin del Mundo waterfall and promoted forest conservation as an alternative to activities that once cleared more of the forest.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Magpie Tanager (Cissopis leverianus) 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