Brown-backed Solitaire
Myadestes occidentalis
Slender, long-tailed thrush of mountain and foothill forests. Best known for its amazing song, given year-round; thus, sadly, often kept as a cage bird. Usually seen singly, perched quietly and rather upright at low to high levels in forest, but small groups can gather at fruiting trees with other species. Song sometimes given in fluttering display flight high over an open area between trees or above the canopy. Note the broken white eyering, narrow black whisker, and rich brown back.
Taxonomy
Placed in the genus Myadestes, the brown-backed solitaire is closely related to other thrushes sharing the common name of "solitaire."
- Scientific name
- Myadestes occidentalis
- Authority
- Stejneger, 1882
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Myadestes
Range and habitat
It is relatively common in the mountains of Mexico and northern Central America. It tends to be found in semi-deciduous mountain forests, including mixed pine-oak forests. It is often found near streams.<p>In the American Birding Association Area, it is Code 5. One singing bird was found in Miller Canyon, in the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and documented by the youth birding Victor Emanuel Nature Tours' Camp Chiricahua in July 2009. This bird was the first accepted record of this species in the ABA area, notable since several other previous records had been rejected due to question of origin.<p>The bird was located, identified, and documented by Benjamin Van Doren, Philippa Tanford, James Warren, Fer Farias, Ted Stiritz, Erich Lehner, Benjamin Vizzachero, Ethan Gyllenhaal, Megan O'Brien, Brian Magnier, Vincent Pellegrino, and leaders Robert Day, Dave Jasper, and Rebekah McIntyre.[citation needed]<p>A heard-only bird in Morse Canyon, Chiricahuas, Arizona, was documented by John Yerger in May 2011, and is pending acceptance. A wildfire shut down the trail, and the bird was not refound.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yucatan Jay
Cyanocorax yucatanicus
Common and conspicuous in woodland and forest edge of Yucatan Peninsula, where there are no similar species. Usually found in groups of 5-25 birds, often chattering noisily. Black and bright blue plumage is distinctive. The bill is black on adult birds, yellow on juveniles and 1st-year birds. The striking white bodied juvenile plumage is held for only a few weeks in late summer before being replaced by adult-like black feathering.
Lawrence's Goldfinch
Spinus lawrencei
Unique among goldfinches because of its mostly gray body. Male has black forehead and throat, yellow breast, and complex black and yellow pattern on wings. Female is duller with ghost of male's pattern. Found in open grassy woodland. Uncommon, but sometimes travels in large flocks, especially in fall and winter. Highly erratic, moves around a lot from year-to-year; difficult to track down with much reliability. Feeds on seeds. Sometimes visits feeders.
Whiskered Pitta
Erythropitta kochi
A medium-sized bird of lower-elevation montane forest floor and undergrowth on Luzon. Prefers thick undergrowth with moss, ferns, and a steep slope. Brown on the back and sides with a red belly, a blue chest, tail, and edge of the wing, rufous on the back of the head, a dark face with a pale moustache, and a pale line behind the eye. Very similar to Blue-breasted Pitta, but Whiskered usually occurs at higher elevations, has an obvious whisker on the face, and has a brown rather than green back. Song is a long, mournful downslurred note followed by several shorter ones, “doooo doo-doo-doo-doo!”
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