Black-faced Solitaire

The black-faced solitaire (Myadestes melanops) is a bird in the 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 750 to 3,000 m (2,460 to 9,840 ft) altitude. It disperses as low as 400 m (1,300 ft) in the wet season, when it may form loose flocks. It builds a cup nest of mosses and liverworts in a tree crevice, hole in a mossy bank, or concealed amongst mosses and epiphytes in a tree fork up to 3.5 m (11 ft) above the ground. The female lays two or three rufous-brown marked white or pinkish eggs between April and June. The fledging period is 15–16 days. The black-faced solitaire is a slim thrush, 16–18.5 cm (6.3–7.3 in) long, and weighing 33 g (1.2 oz) on average. The adult is slate gray with a black face and chin which contrast with the broad orange bill. The wings and tail are slate-edged black, and the underwing coverts are silvery-white, a feature which shows well in flight. The legs are orange. The juvenile has buff streaks on the head and upper parts, and buff and…