Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9–8.7 in
20–22 cm - Weight
- 1.1–1.2 oz
30–35 g
Other Names
- Solitaire de Townsend (French)
- Clarín Norteño (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Townsend's Solitaire usually puts its nest on the ground, but may nest above the ground in a decaying stub or a live tree. It is especially fond of nesting along cut banks. All of the sites used are nooks or hollows beneath some sort of overhanging object that shelters the nest from above.
- During the winter, the male and female are both strongly territorial, defending patches of juniper trees against other solitaires and other birds. They feed largely or even exclusively on the juniper's ripe, fleshy berries for the entire nonbreeding season.
- The Townsend's Solitaire sings throughout the fall and winter to set up and hold its winter territory. Violent fights may break out in defense of the winter territory, because owners of large, berry-rich territories survive the winter at higher rates than solitaires on small territories with few berries.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Breeds in mountainous areas, especially in open coniferous forests. Winters from coastal areas to mountain valleys where juniper is present.
Food
Insects
Insects, spiders, some berries. In winter eats primarily fleshy female cones ("berries") of junipers.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- Variable in color from dull white to pink, to greenish blue; marked with numerous blotches or spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and naked or with some patches of down.
Nest Description
Cup of pine needles lined with grass stems or strips of bark, placed on platform of twigs on ground or cliff under an overhang; especially often along cut banks.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Flycatching
Flycatches for flying insects, picks insects off trees and ground.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not well sampled, but populations show no significant trends.
Credits
- Bowen, R. V. 1997. Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi). In The Birds of North America, No. 269 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.