The Story
This Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) perched atop a weathered tree stump at Hacienda Guadalajara in La Buitrera, Palmira, near the Pradera line in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. This compact songbird of the Andean foothills shows a saturated golden-yellow body and a deep bluish-black cap and mask, in even, diffused light against a soft green background. At about 10 centimeters long, it has one of the thicker bills of all the euphonias. It ranges from Costa Rica to Bolivia and Brazil and feeds mainly on mistletoe and other small fruits. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/750 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −2 EV. Hacienda Guadalajara lies on the western flank of the Cordillera Central.
©2026 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