The Story
I photographed this Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster) in the cloud forest at La Florida El Bosque de las Aves, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 1,980 meters, in February 2021. Its deep blue and yellow plumage stood out against the varied greens of the understory, where the light was diffused. Males have a deep yellow forehead patch, glossy blue-black upperparts and a purplish black throat. It feeds mainly on small fruits, with some arthropods, and builds a domed nest of grass and moss with a side entrance. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L, at 1/1000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, −0.5 EV. Cali, Yumbo, La Cumbre and Dagua have committed to conserving the San Antonio–Km 18 Key Biodiversity Area, its forest and its water sources.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster) 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 decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List