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
African Palm Swift
Cypsiurus parvus
A very slender gray-brown swift with a long, deeply forked tail that is often held closed, making it look needle-like and pointed. The erratic flight pattern, with frequent direction changes and rapid wingbeats on long, scythe-shaped wings, is distinctive. Less gregarious than other swifts; usually found in pairs or small flocks, and association with other swallows and swifts is usually only fleeting. Forages over a wide variety of habitats with palms, including savanna, coastal scrub, towns, villages, cultivated areas, forest edge, and clearings, from sea level up to 1800 meters of elevation, preferring lowlands. Nests and roosts in palms and uses its tiny legs with hook-like claws to cling to the undersides of fronds. Gives a high-pitched, metallic “tre-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit-tit” call, solitarily or in unison with others. Separated from other swifts by its longer and thinner tail.
Grayish Piculet
Picumnus granadensis
Tiny woodpecker somewhat reminiscent of a nuthatch. Short, chisel-like bill and short tail. Plain grayish-brown above and slightly paler below with no streaking; note dark crown with small white spotting. Found in a variety of forested habitats, even around edges and second growth. Creeps around small branches and vines, often hanging upside-down. Sexes similar; males have patch of yellow spots on crown (not just white). Restricted to western Colombia.
Flat-billed Vireo
Vireo nanus
A small, slow-moving species that prefers dry brush and scrublands where it typically feeds low and sometimes even on the ground; sometimes found at higher elevations where it can be found feeding in or near the canopy in vine tangles. The Flat-billed Vireo is a relatively plain species, with bold white wingbars, and whitish eyes. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has a smaller more pointed bill, darker eyes, and is usually found perched upright or flycatching. Flat-billed Vireos sing a “we-we-we-we-we…,” typically in a series of six to ten notes given at a rate of about seven per second, but sometimes given more rapidly at about twelve notes per second. Calls include a staccato ratcheting given by agitated birds.
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