Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Thrushes (Turdidae)

Codes: Common Name: TOSO Scientific Name: MYATOW ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179824

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Townsend's Solitaire: Small thrush, gray overall and slightly darker above. Eye-ring is thin and white. The wings have pale rust-brown patches and black flight feathers. Outer tail feathers are white. Perches upright and remains still for long periods of time and is easily overlooked.

Range and Habitat

Townsend's Solitaire: Breeds in mountains from Alaska to the Northwest Territories, and from British Columbia to South Dakota, California, and central Mexico. Spends winters from southern Canada southward, usually at lower elevations in breeding range. Also ranges eastward to Nebraska. In summer, frequents montane coniferous forests around 3,000 feet below the timberline; in winter, descends to canyons with open juniper forests on lower slopes.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tew", "eek", "whee"

Interesting Facts

The Townsend's Solitaire is the only solitaire native to America north of Mexico.

The name of this bird commemorates the ornithologist John Kirk Townsend.

During the winter, the male and female are both strongly territorial, defending patches of juniper trees against other solitaires and other birds.

A group of thrushes are collectively known as a "hermitage" and a "mutation" of thrushes.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Townsend's Solitaire

● Song: "tew", "eek", "whee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Townsend's Solitaire: Feeds on various insects and worms in summer; winter diet consists principally of juniper berries; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Townsend's Solitaire: Three to eight pale blue eggs, occasionally flecked with red brown, are laid in a nest made of grass, roots, and moss, lined with fine materials, and built on the ground sheltered by overhanging branches, rocks, or other natural overhangs. Eggs are incubated for 14 days mostly by the female.

● Similar species: Townsend's Solitaire: Northern Mockingbird is paler gray overall, has two white wing-bars, white wing patch, faint eyestripe and longer bill. Female Mountain Bluebird has shorter tail, blue on wings and tail, and lacks buff in wings.

Flight Pattern

Rather slow flight; several slow wing beats followed by short glides. Often irregular in flight pattern, changing direction quickly.

Townsend's Solitaire Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Townsend's Solitaire: Breeds in mountains from Alaska to the Northwest Territories, and from British Columbia to South Dakota, California, and central Mexico. Spends winters from southern Canada southward, usually at lower elevations in breeding range. Also ranges eastward to Nebraska. In summer, frequents montane coniferous forests around 3,000 feet below the timberline; in winter, descends to canyons with open juniper forests on lower slopes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationFairly common, Casual to rare in winter

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.2 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Flight feathers

Located on the wing, and collectively called remiges (singular, remex). The long stiff feathers are subdivided into two major groups based on the location and are called primaries and secondaries.

Outer tail feathers

The tail feathers farthest from the center.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America