How to Identify a Townsend’s Solitaire Bird

What Does a Townsend’s Solitaire Look Like?

This relatively under-the-radar bird can be tricky to tell apart from other small, grayish birds, but there are a few key features birders can look for. About the size of an American robin and a fellow member of the thrush family, the Townsend’s solitaire features overall gray plumage with a striking white eye-ring.

Wings are dark in color and feature lighter-colored portions, visible both when the bird is perched and in flight. Males and females are identical. True to their name, solitaires are often seen alone.

Townsend’s Solitaire Range and Habitat

Find this cloud-colored thrush throughout much of the Great Plains region, the West, and the Pacific Northwest. Their breeding range sprawls up through Canada. Though uncommon, during winter some birds will further extend their range into portions of the Midwest, including western Iowa and Minnesota.

Townsend’s solitaires prefer conifer forests, semi-open woods, and open scrub habitats. Where these birds choose to overwinter depends on food availability, particularly juniper berries.

A Birds & Blooms reader reported unique behavior from one of these birds.

“This bird (above)tried desperately to get into my car. What is it?” asks Sharon Heister of Grand Junction, Colorado.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “When we hear about a bird attacking car windows or mirrors, it’s typically a robin or a cardinal. Your bird is a Townsend’s solitaire, certainly not something we expected in this situation! In springtime, male birds often attack their own reflections in shiny surfaces, but that’s not a common behavior in fall.”

Diet: What Does a Townsend’s Solitaire Eat?

As is the case with a variety of birds, Townsend’s solitaires have one diet for summer, and another for winter. During warmer months, they dine on insects such as spiders, caterpillars, and beetles. When the weather cools down and bugs become scarce, they eat berries from several sources, including juniper and hackberry.

Nesting Habits

Nests are constructed on the ground in a crevice, or even along road cuts or riverbanks. Females build the nest and lay three to five eggs. The incubation period lasts for about two weeks, and two weeks later, young are ready to leave the nest.

Calls and Sounds

The Townsend’s solitaire’s complex song consists of a number of warbling, rising and falling notes. Its call is a clear, repeated eek.

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Sources

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Townsend’s Solitaire: Life History“
• National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Townsend’s Solitaire“