Varied Solitaire

About the Varied Solitaire

The varied solitaire (Myadestes coloratus) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes. It is found in Colombia and Panama. The varied solitaire was originally described in 1912 with its current binomial Myadestes coloratus and English name. During the middle of the twentieth century several authors treated what are now the varied solitaire, the black-faced solitaire (M. malanops), and Andean solitaire (M. ralloides) as conspecific. They are not well differentiated and form a superspecies.

The varied solitaire is monotypic. The varied solitaire is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 24 to 34 g (0.85 to 1.2 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a smudgy blackish forehead, face, and chin on an otherwise pale slate-gray head and neck. Their back, rump, and uppertail coverts are warm brown. Their wings have warm brown upperwing coverts and blackish primary coverts and flight feathers. Their tail is blackish with paler outer feathers and pale gray feather tips. Their underparts are pale slate-gray. They have a yellow bill and yellow legs and feet. Juveniles have olive-brown upperparts with... Wikipedia →