The Story
I photographed this Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) at the Mirador Turístico Don Yo, on the old road from Villavicencio to Bogotá, Colombia, in January 2020. It feeds mainly on mistletoe berries and other small fruit, with a few insects. Males are glossy blue-black above and bright yellow below, with a yellow forehead, while females are olive-green. Both sexes build the nest, a globe with a side entrance made of twigs, leaves and plant fibers. It is quite vocal and a good mimic of other birds’ calls. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Villavicencio, the capital of Meta, was founded on April 6, 1840, and is the most important commercial center of the Llanos Orientales.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) belongs to the family Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, 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 2020), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List