The Story
I photographed this Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) at Finca La Conchita, in the Kilómetro 18 area near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in October 2019. It has a blue-green body and a yellow head with a black forecrown, eye area and chin. It travels in pairs or small groups with mixed-species flocks of tanagers and other canopy birds. It is thought to be socially monogamous. It lives in the northern Andes, in cloud forest and forest edges with mossy trees. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200, −0.7 EV. The San Antonio cloud forest at Kilometer 18 is recognized as an Important Bird Area and a Key Biodiversity Area, with the Multicolored Tanager as its symbol species.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) 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 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List