16 Nebraskaland • March 2019
PHOTO
BY
JOEL
G.
JORGENSEN
THE OVERLOOKED TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
The Townsend's solitaire is an elegant thrush that often
occupies the background while its relatives, such as the
ubiquitous American robin and beloved bluebirds, steal
the limelight. Unlike those other species, and as it names
implies, this sleek gray songbird with a white eye-ring and
a proportionately long tail typically is not found in fl ocks
or groups. It is a western bird that breeds in mountainous
regions from northern Mexico to eastern Alaska and as close
as the Black Hills of South Dakota. Townsend's solitaires
visit Nebraska during winter and migrate through the state
in spring and fall. There are, however, a couple of historical
breeding records from the Pine Ridge in northwestern
Nebraska in 1900. The species is most common in western
Nebraska, but rare eastward.
Townsend's solitaires are often found around junipers,
such as the eastern red cedar, whose berries are an important
winter food source. In fact, Townsend's solitaires are
territorial; lone individuals will defend their patch of junipers
and the trove of berries from others of its kind. Highest
densities predictably occur in winter in areas of extensive
junipers in the west such as the North Platte River Valley, the
Wildcat Hills and Loess Canyons in Lincoln County. Eastern
red cedars have invaded prairies in certain areas of the state,
such as the Loess Canyons, and have become a serious
problem for agricultural producers and for grassland birds.
However, red cedar expansion has no doubt been a windfall
for the solitaire.
Townsend's solitaires are most often seen sitting on a
high branch of a juniper tree, but sometimes an observer
needs to "pish" or squeak to coax the bird out into full view.
Always curious, once a bird is prompted into the open, it will
generally off er excellent views.
Visit the
Birds of Nebraska –
Online
at birdsofnebraska.org for
more information.
By Joel G. Jorgensen
IN THE FIELD
