The Story
I photographed this Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) 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 plumage stood out against the green of its habitat, with light and shadow across its feathers. It lives in cloud forest, forest edges and secondary forest of the northern Andes, where it prefers mossy trees. It forages in pairs or small groups within mixed-species flocks, and it is the most fruit-eating species in its genus. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/2000 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800. 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.
©2024 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