The Story
This Saffron-crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala) perched on a mossy branch at La Minga Ecolodge in Dapa, near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, showing its saffron-yellow crown and iridescent turquoise plumage. It lives in cloud forest, edges and secondary forest of the northern Andes, preferring mossy trees. It forages in pairs or small groups within mixed-species flocks, and it is the most fruit-eating species of its genus. Its calls include a thin, high-pitched tsit and a descending tsew. Habitat destruction may threaten it, though 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 1/500 sec, f/6.7, ISO 800, −0.5 EV. La Minga sits in the cloud forest of the Kilometer 18 area, about an hour from Cali.
©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