Varied Solitaire

Overview

The varied solitaire (Myadestes coloratus) is a Near Threatened species of thrush found in Colombia and Panama. It is a small, monotypic bird that forms a superspecies with the black-faced and Andean solitaires.

Identification

• Size 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) in length and 24 to 34 g (0.85 to 1.2 oz) in weight, with Myadestes coloratus having identical plumage in both sexes.
• Adults have a smudgy blackish forehead, face, and chin on a pale slate-gray head and neck, with warm brown upperparts and pale slate-gray underparts.
• Features a yellow bill and yellow legs, with a blackish tail marked by paler outer feathers and pale gray tips.
• Song consists of a leisurely series of drawn-out single notes or flute-like phrases separated by 3–6 second pauses.

Habitat

The varied solitaire inhabits montane evergreen forest and cloudforest in the upper tropical and subtropical zones. It has a disjunct distribution across eastern Panama and on the Panama-Colombia border, typically at elevations ranging from 800 to 2,200 m.

Diet

The varied solitaire is known to feed on fruit, although its specific diet and foraging behaviour have not been extensively studied.

Did you know?

The species is monotypic, meaning it has no recognised subspecies, yet it is not well differentiated from the black-faced and Andean solitaires, leading some mid-twentieth-century authors to treat them as a single species.