The Story
This Scrub Tanager (Stilpnia vitriolina) was at Entreaguas Reserva Natural in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. It lives along all three Andean ranges of western Colombia and in the inter-Andean valleys of northern Ecuador, mainly between 500 and 2,500 meters. It uses scrub, open woodland, gardens and farmland in dry, semi-open country. It is not a forest bird, and it may be spreading into cleared areas. Its natural habitats include moist montane forest, high-elevation shrubland and heavily degraded former forest. The reserve lies in the Coello-Cocora area west of Ibagué, on the way toward Cajamarca, and its trails pass a series of waterfalls.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, −1 EV. IUCN lists the Scrub Tanager as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Scrub Tanager (Stilpnia vitriolina) 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 stable. Source: IUCN Red List