The Story
This Scrub Tanager (Stilpnia vitriolina) was photographed at Finca Alejandría, at Kilometer 18 near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 1,960 meters. The species is found only in Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitats are humid subtropical and tropical montane forest, high-elevation shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest, so it is at home in the mix of forest patches, gardens and clearings along the Kilometer 18 road. It is locally common in dry, semi-open country between about 500 and 2,500 meters, and it may be spreading into deforested areas. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO 3200, −0.5 EV. Finca Alejandría sits at Kilometer 18 on the road from Cali to Buenaventura.
©2023 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