The Story
I photographed this male Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) at Ecoparque Los Alcázares in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. The Green Honeycreeper forages alone, in pairs and with mixed-species flocks. In a study in Trinidad, about two thirds of its foraging was for fruit, and half of that fruit was Miconia berries. The female builds the nest, a shallow cup of dead leaves and rootlets. It is mainly a bird of the canopy, though it comes lower at forest edges. More than 176 bird species have been recorded at the ecoparque, a number that can reach about 230 during migration, along with 40 mammals. IUCN lists the Green Honeycreeper as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. The ecoparque works to protect the wildlife that moves along Manizales’ natural corridors and to help restore the city’s ecological capital.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List