GAP Analysis Predicted Distribution Map

Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)

Species Code: MYTO

Legend:
= Core Habitat
= Marginal Habitat

Breeding Range Map
The green area shows the predicted habitats for breeding only. The habitats were identified using 1991 satellite imagery, Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA), other datasets and experts throughout the state, as part of the Washington Gap Analysis Project. Habitats used during non-breeding months and migratory rest-stops were not mapped.

Metadata (Data about data or how the map was made)

Click to enlarge distribution map

Map with Breeding Bird Atlas records

Other maps & Information:

Breeding Bird Atlas
NatureMapping observations
during breeding season
NatureMapping observations
throughout the year

This species is common in high-elevation forested areas,especially in drier zones throughout the state, including high-elevation alpine parkland habitats along the Cascade crest, the northeastern Olympic Mountains, and on Mount Rainier and other major volcanoes. This solitaire is also found in lower-elevation forests throughout eastern Washington. It is uncommon above 2000 feet in the western Blue Mountains, but common in the eastern Blue Mountains.

Core zones were steppe zones at the edge of the Basin, Grand Fir in the Blue Mountains, and the Ponderosa Pine, Oak, Interior Douglas-fir, Olympic Douglas-fir, Sub-alpine Fir, Alpine/Parkland and Mountain Hemlock zones. Peripheral zones were in Grand Fir outside of the Blue Mountains, Interior Redcedar, Interior Western Hemlock, and Silver Fir. Good habitats in steppe and Oak zones were conifer forests only. In other zones, conifer forests and forest openings and clearings were good.

Townsend's Solitaires require a combination of steep banks in which they place a nest among rocks, dirt, or tree roots; open forests or forest openings in which they fly through searching for prey; and tall trees for perches within or adjacent to these open areas. It is reported that Townsend's Solitaires normally nest above 3500 feet in the Northeastern Olympics. They are absent from forests in the western and southern Olympic Mountains, which are wetter and on less steep slopes than those that occur on the northeast side of the range. A curious, confirmed nesting record is from near Elbe (Pierce County), evidently from high in the Western Hemlock zone. In eastern Washington, Townsend's Solitaires can be found in low-elevation forests, as evidenced by confirmed nesting locations in Spokane (Dishman Hills area) and along the lower treeline. This species is probably more common than indicated by the sparseness of existing data. It is not often heard singing, but its song is distinct and noticeable.

Translated from the Washington Gap Analysis Bird Volume by Uchenna Bright
Text edited by Gussie Litwer
Webpage designed by Dave Lester