Myadestes occidentalis
Silhouette: Francesco "Architetto" Rollandin · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Solitaire sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 365 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 135th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-backed Solitaire in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in January–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Mexico City's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in July.
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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Brown-backed Solitaire sightings, Mexico City ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Guatemala City (Guatemala, about 10%).
Same family: Turdidae
The closest relatives of the Brown-backed Solitaire that you can see in Mexico City (family Turdidae, Thrushes) are American Robin (about 40%), Rufous-backed Robin (about 40%) and Hermit Thrush (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 Mexico City (365 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.
