The Story
This Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) perched on a slender, moss-covered branch in the cloud forest at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Her emerald, turquoise and golden feathers gleamed against mist-shrouded foliage, and the curve of her bill and attentive gaze held a moment of stillness. This Colombian endemic lives in wet montane forest of the Western and Central Andes, and females lack the male’s yellow mantle and black belly patch. IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.
I photographed her from about 6.1 meters with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/350 sec, f/6.7, ISO 400, −1.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, the cloud forest around La Minga, along with its water sources.
©2025 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