- Myadestes melanops
Identification
16-18.5 cm
- Slate grey body
- Black face and chin
- Broad orange bill
- Wings and tail have black edging
- Silvery-white underwing coverts
- Orange legs.
Juvenile: buffy streaking on the head and upperparts. Underparts show brownish-buff mottling.
Distribution
Mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama (east to Veraguas)
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Has been considered a subspecies of Andean Solitaire (Myadestes ralloides) in the past[2].
Habitat
Found at heights from around 750 to 3000m in wet mountain forest, riverine scrub and woodland.
Behaviour
Inclined to lurks in the dense under-storey, though can be heard singing high in the canopy.
Diet
The diet includes insects and berries.
Breeding
The nest is a cup comprised of material such as moss. It can be found in a tree crevice or a hole in a mossy bank. The clutch is laid between April and June and consists of 2 or 3 pink or white eggs with rufous brown marks. The young fledge after 15-16 days.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-faced Solitaire. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-faced_Solitaire
