The Story
This Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) was at PANACA in Quimbaya, Quindío, Colombia, on June 15, 2017, perched among hanging strands of small round fruit. It is a seed-eater of open country, common in pastures, farmland, parks and gardens across much of Colombia, and it often forages on the ground. Adults are bright yellow with an orange crown. Although it is called a finch, it belongs to the tanager family. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon EOS 70D and the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. The bird is turned to the left, its tail angled down through the strands of fruit. PANACA is an agricultural theme park in Colombia’s coffee region, and its farm grounds give visitors an easy chance to see common birds of the Andean valleys up close.
©2017 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) 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