Myadestes townsendi
Silhouette: Francesco "Architetto" Rollandin · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 376 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Townsend's Solitaire in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and November, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 220 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.
5th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Townsend's Solitaire sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (United States, about 20%), Rocky Mountain National Park (United States, about 20%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Turdidae
The closest relatives of the Townsend's Solitaire that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Turdidae, Thrushes) are American Robin (about 70%), Hermit Thrush (about 10%) and Western Bluebird (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 Yosemite National Park (376 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.
