Black solitaire

The black solitaire 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 forests.

Loading map...

Distribution

Region

Chocó biogeographic region and Western Andes

Typical Environment

Occurs on the west slope of the Andes and adjacent lowlands of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Favors humid evergreen forest, including mature foothill and montane cloud forest, and sometimes well-developed secondary growth. Most activity is in the mid-story to canopy, often near fruiting trees. It may venture along forest edges and ridges but avoids heavily fragmented habitats.

Altitude Range

200–2200 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size23–25 cm

Wing Span34–38 cm

Male Weight0.11 kg

Female Weight0.1 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A shy, canopy-dwelling thrush of humid Chocó forests, the black solitaire is most often detected by its rich, fluty whistles. It is an important seed disperser thanks to a fruit-heavy diet. Habitat loss from logging and agricultural expansion is its primary threat in parts of its range.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

shy and unobtrusive

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats through mid-story; strong but direct when crossing gaps

Social Behavior

Usually solitary or in pairs, occasionally joining loose mixed-species flocks at fruiting trees. Builds a cup nest placed on sheltered branches or in dense foliage. Both parents are thought to participate in feeding the young.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Song is a series of clear, mellow, fluty whistles delivered at measured pace, often from concealed perches. Calls include thin, high tseep notes used for contact.

Unlock detailed bird insights with Pro access today.

Identification

Leg Colororange-yellow

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Mostly uniform, satiny black plumage with a slight bluish gloss in good light.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily consumes small to medium fruits and berries from canopy and mid-story trees, swallowing them whole and later dispersing seeds. Supplements diet with arthropods gleaned from foliage and branches, especially when fruit is scarce. Will sally short distances to pluck hanging fruits or snatch insects.

Preferred Environment

Forages in the mid-story to canopy of humid primary and mature secondary forest, especially around fruiting trees. Also uses edges, forested ravines, and ridge tops where fruit resources are concentrated.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

Black sparrowhawk

The black sparrowhawk, sometimes known as the black goshawk or great sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It occurs mainly in forest and non-desert areas south of the Sahara, particularly where there are large trees suitable for nesting; favored habitat includes suburban and human-altered landscapes. It preys predominantly on birds of moderate size, such as pigeons and doves, in suburban areas.

Black stilt

The black stilt or kakī (Māori) is a wading bird found in New Zealand. It is one of the world's rarest birds, with 169 adults surviving in the wild as of May 2020. Adult kakī have distinctive black plumage, long pink legs, and a long thin black bill. Black stilts largely breed in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island, and are threatened by introduced feral cats, ferrets, and hedgehogs as well as habitat degradation from hydroelectric dams, agriculture, and invasive weeds.

Black stork

The black stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Measuring on average 95 to 100 cm from beak tip to end of tail with a 145-to-155 cm (57-to-61 in) wingspan, the adult black stork has mainly black plumage, with white underparts, long red legs and a long pointed red beak. A widespread but uncommon species, it breeds in scattered locations across Europe, and east across the Palearctic to the Pacific Ocean. It is a long-distance migrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in the Indian subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing broad expanses of the Mediterranean Sea and detours via the Levant in the east, the Strait of Sicily in the center, or the Strait of Gibraltar in the west. An isolated non-migratory population lives in Southern Africa.

Black swan

The black swan or Australian swan, is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent on climatic conditions. It is a large bird with black plumage and a red bill. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.