The tanagers of Colombia are not only diverse, they are often stunning. I think of them as eye-candy.
Blue-necked Tanager (Stilpnia cyanicollis)
A colorful tanager that occurs in northern South America.
Southern Emerald-Toucanet
Southern Emerald-Toucanet 20” x 10” acrylic
We had lunch at a restaurant in the coffee triangle region of Colombia and these two toucanets didn't seem to mind all the activity in the parking lot.
Tropical Parula
The beautiful, but shy Tropical Parula. In our 10 days of birding in Colombia, we only saw them a few times. This one was photographed near the town of Soatá, Colombia.
Golden-fronted Redstart
A common western warbler that we encountered in the Western and Eastern Andes.
Southern Emerald-Toucanet
We have returned from our second birding trip to Colombia. We had an exhausting, but great time.
Our first trip concentrated on the Western Andes and the Cauca Valley. On our second trip (Jan-Feb 2023), we looked for birds in the Eastern Andes from approximately Bogotá to Soatá.
Azara’s Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae)
This skulky spinetail was seen in Colombia, near La Suiza. It took awhile to get this photo because this bird normally stays hidden in the brush.
Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
I first saw this small sparrow in Ecuador before I knew I was a birder. It caught my eye and I fell in love with them. This photo was taken in near-zero temperature in the high Andes Mountains of Columbia, in February 2022. This explains why it is puffed up into a sphere. I didn’t notice the leg band on the left leg until we returned home and I cropped the photo.
Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus)
The Masked Trogon is common in the Andes of Colombia. This is a female. The male looks entirely different, and I hope to post a photo of the male soon. This one was seen in the Rio Blanca watershed east of Manizales, Colombia.
Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii)
A beautiful, metallic-colored hummingbird of the Andes. This is a male. The females look very different.
The Spectacled Parrotlet
Photos of the male and the female.
A tiny parrot found in northern South America and Panama. It can be up to about 5” (13cm) in length. The male has blue highlighting on his wings and around his eyes. The female has no blue markings.
Bar-crested Antshrike
The male’s upper parts are rufous-colored. Both the male and female were seen at Laguna de Sonso, Colombia.
The female lacks rufous coloring on its upper parts.
Cinnamon Flycatcher
A beautiful flycatcher that occurs in the Andes of South America from Venezuela to Northern Argentina.
Golden-plumed Parakeets
Golden-plumed Parakeets 12” x 12” acrylic on wood panel
I based this painting on sketches I made of these wonderful birds in Colombia.
Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan 24” x 12” acrylic on canvas
At one of our stops the proprietor of a dairy farm set up feeders to draw in these amazing birds with grapes. I was able to make dozens of sketches and developed a couple into this painting when we returned
Red-headed Barbet
This is the male Red-headed Barbet. We saw quite a few of these in mid-altitude forests. They never ceased to amaze me. Although the male has the bright-red head and face, the female is beautiful too.
Golden Tanager
A common tanager in the Northern Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.
Red-headed Barbet
This is the female Red-headed Barbet. Although she lacks the striking red head and face of the male, she is stunningly beautiful.