Myadestes occidentalis
Silhouette: Francesco "Architetto" Rollandin · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The brown-backed solitaire (Myadestes occidentalis) is a thrush found in montane pine-oak woodlands from Mexico to Honduras. The brown-backed solitaire was originally described as Myadestes obscurus. In 1882, Stejneger split it as the mainland Myadestes obscurus var occidentalis and Myadestes obscurus var. insularis, endemic to the Tres Marías Islands. However, the binomial Myadestes obscurus was later found to have been assigned to another species. By the principle of priority, Stejneger's two taxa were then named M. occidentalis occidentalis and M. occidentalis insularis.
The brown-backed solitaire is 20.5 to 21.5 cm (8.1 to 8.5 in) long and weighs 38 to 44 g (1.3 to 1.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies M. o. occidentalis have black lores with a white stripe above them, a broken white eye-ring, a white "moustache" stripe, black cheeks, and a white chin and upper... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Solitaire sighting in Guatemala City on a given day, based on 690 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 47th most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Solitaire in Guatemala City on a given day, against about 10% in April and July–January, the lowest months. That is one of Guatemala City's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 5 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-backed Solitaire sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Brown-backed Solitaire sightings, Guatemala City has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Mexico City (México, under 5%) and Puebla (México, under 5%).
Same family: Turdidae
The closest relatives of the Brown-backed Solitaire that you can see in Guatemala City (family Turdidae, Thrushes) are Clay-colored Thrush (about 80%), Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush (about 20%) and Rufous-collared Robin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown-backed Solitaire is recorded against all the birds logged in Guatemala City (690 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
