The solitaires are medium-sized mostly
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
birds in the
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
''
Myadestes'', ''
Cichlopsis'' and ''
Entomodestes
''Entomodestes '' is a small genus of birds in the thrush family. They are found in humid Andean highland forest in South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, w ...
'' of the
thrush
''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...
family
Turdidae.
Taxonomy
Although all three genera of solitaires are morphologically similar, genetic studies have indicated that they are not particularly closely related. The genus ''Myadestes'' is in the
basal clade of the family Turdidae, along with the genera ''
Sialia
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
'' (the bluebirds) and ''
Neocossyphus'' (African ant-thrushes).
[
]
Species list
Thrushes in three genera are called "solitaires":
* Genus '' Myadestes'' 12 species, including 1 now extinct, found in Hawaii, the Americas and the CaribbeanPuaiohi
The puaiohi (''Myadestes palmeri''), or small Kauai thrush, is a rare species of songbird in the Thrush (bird), thrush family, Turdidae, that is Endemism, endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Kauai. It is closely related to the other three en ...
, ''Myadestes palmeri''
** Townsend's solitaire, ''Myadestes townsendi''
** Brown-backed solitaire
The brown-backed solitaire (''Myadestes occidentalis'') is considered a thrush and is placed in the family Turdidae. It is a medium-sized bird about 21 centimeters (8 inches) long. It is a mostly grayish bird with brown flight feathers (hence t ...
, ''Myadestes occidentalis''
** Cuban solitaire, ''Myadestes elisabeth''
** Rufous-throated solitaire
The rufous-throated solitaire (''Myadestes genibarbis'') is a species of bird placed in the family Turdidae.
Distribution and habitat
It is found on Dominica, Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, ...
, ''Myadestes genibarbis''
** Black-faced solitaire
The black-faced solitaire (''Myadestes melanops'') is a bird in the Thrush (bird), thrush family endemic to highlands in Costa Rica and western Panama.
This is a bird of dense undergrowth and bamboo clumps in wet mountain forest, normally from ...
, ''Myadestes melanops''
** Varied solitaire
The varied solitaire (''Myadestes coloratus'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Colombia and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of ...
, ''Myadestes coloratus''
** Andean solitaire
The Andean solitaire (''Myadestes ralloides'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosyst ...
, ''Myadestes ralloides''
** Slate-colored solitaire
The slate-colored solitaire (''Myadestes unicolor'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests ...
, ''Myadestes unicolor''
* Genus '' Cichlopsis'': 1 species, found to South AmericaRufous-brown solitaire
The rufous-brown solitaire (''Cichlopsis leucogenys'') is a species of bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowl ...
, ''Cichlopsis leucogenys''
* Genus ''Entomodestes
''Entomodestes '' is a small genus of birds in the thrush family. They are found in humid Andean highland forest in South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, w ...
'': 2 species, found in South AmericaWhite-eared solitaire
The white-eared solitaire (''Entomodestes leucotis'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae found in Bolivia and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of m ...
, ''Entomodestes leucotis''
**Black solitaire
The black solitaire (''Entomodestes coracinus'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane f ...
, ''Entomodestes coracinus''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solitaire (Bird)
Turdidae
Bird common names