The Story
I photographed this Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) in the Cincinati area above Minca, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, at about 1,330 meters. In Colombia it reaches about 1,800 meters. It eats fruit and arthropods, and it takes many insects in midair, often catching more than one from a swarm of flying ants or termites on a single flight. Males defend the area right around the nest but not a larger territory. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/180 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, +1.5 EV. The Sierra Nevada is the highest coastal range in the tropics, and its roughly 17,000 square kilometers feed 36 rivers across Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis) 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 2023), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List