Myadestes townsendi
Silhouette: Francesco "Architetto" Rollandin · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Townsend's solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) is a medium-sized thrush, the only solitaire native to America north of Mexico. This solitaire ranges from southern Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta to northern Zacatecas in Mexico, preferring montane woodlands. During winter, it may move in search of food to lower elevations, including the Great Plains, northern interior Mexico, and even desert oases.
Townsend's solitaire reaches a length of approximately 8–9.5 inches (20–24 centimetres) and wingspan of 14.5 inches (37 cm); it weighs approximately 1.2 oz (34 g). It has a short, thick, blackish bill; a white eye ring; and gray plumage with a buffy wing stripe and edges of the flight feathers. The tail is long, tapered when shut, and edged with white. Juveniles are mottled gray and white.
It perches in a rather upright position, often high on a branch and often staying still for a long time. Though it has some similarities to the northern mockingbird, particularly as to the tail, its dark underparts, shape, size, and behavior are not similar.
It feeds primarily on berries and insects. The solitaire is amongst the most specialized of all North American... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 21 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 22 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Townsend's Solitaire sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 270 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 152 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Townsend's Solitaire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Townsend's Solitaire sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Townsend's Solitaire sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 20%) and Rocky Mountain National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Turdidae
The closest relatives of the Townsend's Solitaire that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Turdidae, Thrushes) are American Robin (about 60%), Western Bluebird (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 Townsend's Solitaire is recorded against all the birds logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (270 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
