Brown-backed Solitaire Myadestes occidentalis Scientific name definitions

Principally brown above and gray below, the Brown-backed Solitaire’s key plumage features are its black malar streak, dark cheeks, and the broken white eye-ring. Brown-backed Solitaires inhabit dense humid to semi-arid evergreen forests, primarily in the highlands, where it occurs to at least 3500 m. The species ranges from northern Mexico south to Honduras, and is apparently largely sedentary, although there is some indication of movements to lower elevations in winter. This solitaire is, like all Myadestes, most easily located by virtue of its ventriloquial vocalizations. It feeds mainly on fruit, which is taken at low to mid levels in the forest.

20·5–21·5 cm; 38–44 g. Nominate race has black lores and narrow, often ill-defined white supraloral line, broken white eyering, white submoustachial stripe, black malar , white chin and upper throat; rest of head dull darkish grey, shading to olive-rufous on rump and tail and richer rusty brown on scapulars and wing edgings ; white tips of outer rectrices; breast dull darkish grey, shading to paler grey below; bill black; legs greyish-pink. Sexes similar. Juvenile is like adult but with brown-edged whitish-buff body feathers, giving spotted or scalloped effect. Race insularis is slightly greyer on mantle and back than nominate, has more white on throat; <em>oberholseri</em> is more extensively and slightly deeper grey below, legs reddish-brown.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Song , usually from concealed perch (and characteristic of highland forest), highly ventriloquial, a hesitantly starting, slowly descending sweet whistling, accelerating into squeaky, metallic jangling, jumbled crescendo; perhaps given in fullest form only in descent phase of display-flight. Calls include metallic, slightly whining, upslurred “wheeu” or “yeeh”, and nasal rasping “shiehh” as alarm.

Feb–Jul; may possibly extend into Sept (copulation also seen end Jul) and breed at successively higher elevations with advent of summer rains. Nest a cup either externally of moss, lined with pine needles or arborescent lichen, or made entirely of pine needles, placed on or near ground in depression on sloping bank, tucked behind exposed roots, or at base of sapling or boulder in forest. Eggs 2–3, brownish-white to creamy white with heavy reddish-brown streaks and spots; no information on incubation period; nestling period c. 17 days.