The Multicolored Tanager: Colombia's Living Jewel and How to See It Near Cali

A dazzling Colombian endemic of the Km 18 cloud forest — the Valle del Cauca is its stronghold, and Yotoco Lodge your basecamp to find it

Quick Facts: Multicolored Tanager

A name that promises — and delivers

Some birds are named with restraint. The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) is not one of them — and it earns every syllable. Its scientific name nitidissima means “most shining,” and one look explains why: a golden face, a glowing green nape, a black-and-chestnut cheek patch, and underparts of electric cerulean blue. It is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful birds in the Americas — and it lives nowhere on earth but Colombia. For birders, that makes it a top prize of birding in Cali, Colombia.

Crucially for anyone planning a birding trip to Colombia, the Valle del Cauca is this bird's stronghold — the department where it's most reliably found today. And the classic place to see it is the Km 18 cloud forest just above Cali, a short hop from your basecamp.

Meet the species

A living kaleidoscope

At only about 12 cm, the Multicolored Tanager packs an astonishing palette into a tiny frame. The male wears a golden-yellow face and throat, a gleaming green nape and wings, a black-and-chestnut ear patch, a yellow mantle, and a blue rump — with bright cerulean underparts broken by a black central patch. The female follows the same theme in softer tones, lacking the yellow mantle and black belly. The genus name Chlorochrysa itself points to those brilliant green and gold tones. Few photographs do it justice; it's a bird you have to see for yourself.

A true Colombian endemic

The Multicolored Tanager is endemic to Colombia — its entire world range lies within the country's Western and Central Andes. That exclusivity is exactly why international birders travel here for it: it belongs to the elite group of Colombian endemic birds that make the country the world's top birding destination. It's one of just three species in the genus Chlorochrysa, and the only one found in Colombia's endemic-rich cloud forests.

Where it lives — and why the Valle del Cauca matters

This is a bird of humid, mossy montane cloud forest, mostly between about 1,300 and 2,200 m. It ranges across several Andean departments, but here's the key fact for trip planning: the most consistent recent records come from the Valle del Cauca, where it remains relatively common year-round — even in small forest fragments — while it has grown scarce elsewhere. If you want a realistic chance at this bird, this is the region to come to.

How it behaves

Usually seen in pairs or small family groups, the Multicolored Tanager is an active forager that often travels with mixed-species flocks, moving through the mossy midstory and canopy in search of fruit and insects. Its calls are thin and high-pitched. Like many tanagers it's a frugivore and a seed disperser — a small but real contributor to the health of the cloud forest.

Where to see it near Cali: Km 18 (La Florida & San Felipe)

The classic, most reliable place to find the Multicolored Tanager is the famous Km 18 cloud-forest sector on the old Cali–Buenaventura road, at the feeder reserves of Finca La Florida and San Felipe. These are among the finest tanager feeders on earth, where the Multicolored shares the stage with a rainbow of other tanagers, plus Chestnut Wood-Quail, antpittas and hummingbirds. A morning here is one of the great experiences of bird photography in Cali, Colombia.

Km 18, La Florida and San Felipe are among the 8 hotspots reachable as a day trip from Yotoco Lodge — a must on any Western Andes itinerary built around this endemic.

See it from your Western Andes basecamp

From our birding basecamp in the Western Andes of Colombia at Km 26 (Yotoco Lodge), the Km 18 reserves are an easy day trip. We plan your morning at La Florida and San Felipe for the Multicolored Tanager and its dazzling flock-mates, then return to the lodge's own unique feeders.

•       A day trip from Km 26: the Km 18 feeders where the Multicolored Tanager is most reliable.

•       Expert local guiding: 15 years of knowing where the flocks move and when the tanager shows — in Spanish and English.

•       Our own unique feeders: back at the lodge, the hand-feeding Apical Flycatcher (Caleño) and the Whiskered Wren station.

•       Eight hotspots, one base: pair the Multicolored Tanager with the Toucan Barbet, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock and more across 200–3,200 m.

For birders who dream of this endemic, that combination is why Yotoco Lodge is the best birding lodge near Cali, Colombia to base your search.

Practical information

Related articles

•       Km 18 & Finca La Florida Birding Guide

•       The Best Birding Hotspots Near Cali, Colombia: A Complete Guide

•       The Western Andes Near Cali: Colombia's Rising Bird Photography Cluster

•       Why Valle del Cauca Is Colombia's Best Birding Department