User:Acroterion/CS
| Acroterion/CS | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Turdidae |
| Genus: | Myadestes |
| Species: | M. elisabeth
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| Binomial name | |
| Myadestes elisabeth (Lembeye, 1850)
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The Cuban solitaire (Myadestes elisabeth), also known as the Cuban nightingale, and in Cuban Spanish as solitario Cubano , is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Cuba.
Taxonomy and systematics[edit]
- M. and. elisabeth (Lembeye, 1850) from the Island of Cuba.
- M. and. retrusus Bangs & Zappey, 1905 from Isla de la Juventud, is extinct.
Description[edit]
The Cuban solitaire measures about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long. The back is olive-gray or brownish-gray. Down from the throat to the base of the tail it has a grayish-white color that turns white towards the middle of the belly and throat. A white ring surrounds the brown eye. The beak is grayish. On the sides of the beak it has bands like brown whiskers. The ends of the outer tail feathers have white edges. The legs are yellow. Sexes are similar. The immature has a more olive-colored back and very lightly dotted with chestnut ventrally. It perches on the branches to perform its song, which does not change and is not penetrating. It is similar to the friction of a wet finger on the rim of a crystal glass. They feed on fruits, seeds and insects that they look for in flight among the trees.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Cuban solitaires inhabit semi-deciduous or pine forests that have karst ravines. These are found in the mountains of the Sierra de los Órganos and the Sierra del Rosario in Pinar del Río in the west, and in those of the Sierra Maestra and the Sagua-Baracoa Massif in the east. It is absent in the mountains of Guamuhaya in the center of Cuba. On the Isla de la Juventud there was a subspecies described in 1905, which has not been found again, so it is considered extinct.
Behavior[edit]
It nests between May and July in holes between calcareous rocks or in tree holes, whose openings are usually protected by bromeliad leaves. Inside these holes it makes a cup with straw, fibers and roots that it covers with moss. It lays two or three greenish-white eggs with small black or brown dots.
Status[edit]
The IUCN has assessed the Cuban solitaire as Near Threatened, due to its small range and population.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Myadestes elisabeth". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22708593A94167009. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708593A94167009.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- Blanco, P. (2001). El tenor de la montaña. Flora y Fauna 5(1):34-35. (Empresa Nacional para la Conservación de la Flora y la Fauna, Cuba). ISSN 1028-0863
- García, F. (1987). Las Aves de Cuba. Especies endémicas. Subespecies endémicas. Tomos I y II. Editorial Gente Nueva, La Habana. 207 pp.
- Garrido, O.H.; Kirkconnell, A. (2000). Birds of Cuba. Helm Field Guides, Londres. 253 pp.
External links[edit]
- elisabeth BirdLife species factsheet for {{{2}}}
- Myadestes elisabeth at Avibase
- Acroterion/CS photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Cuban solitaire species account at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
- Audio recordings of Cuban solitaire on Xeno-canto.