The Story
This Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) was photographed at Bosque de Niebla Birding & Nature, in the Kilometer 18 cloud forest near Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, at about 1,980 meters. It breeds in coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States, and continental birds travel through Florida to winter from Panama to Bolivia. In its winter range it tends to keep away from buildings and other human activity. It eats mainly insects, fruits and berries, and its song is a hurried series of flute-like notes spiraling upward. 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 1/60 sec, f/6.7, ISO 1600, −1 EV. Bosque de Niebla Birding & Nature sits at Kilometer 18 in Parcelación El Silencio, La Elvira, and visits are by advance booking.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) belongs to the family Turdidae (Thrushes 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 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List