Breeding the Brown--backed Solitaire

Abstract

The eight or so solitaires are found1; upland areas, with one species in the Rockies, one in the Andes and the rest in Central America and the Caribbean. Also, an aberrant solitaire reached Hawaii where it formed four species. One of these is extinct and the others are just about gone, so perhaps this account will encourage a captive breeding program. These approximately 7" 37g birds look  and behave like flycatchers, perching bolt upright for long periods looking for insects, which they snap up with their weak little bills, often with much clacking. They are all similarly garbed in shades of gray and brown.  All are notable songsters, a fact  attested to by their common names, which include "Mountain Whistler," "Musician Bird," "Bugler" (Ciarin, Clarino) , " Linnet" (Jilguero) and "Common Li nnet". These names may be given indiscriminately to several species and the latter three, along with "Guardian of the Cliff," have all been applied to the Brown-backed Solitaire. M. obscurus ranges from the north of Mexico to Honduras and its habitat is described as "fairly dense mountain forest." Like the other solitaires, its habits are a bit strange and the males at least appear to be fearless. The cock of this pair was a delightful bird and spent most of the breeding season sitting singing on the feeding tray and often did not move until I was within two feet. The cock and chicks tolerated a camera at less than a yard. The male chicks became quite steady like the father. The hen was a bit more wary, but the pair often took a bath while I was hosing the aviary. Myadestes are infrequent bathers, taking one bath a week at most. This breeding was easy to observe minutely because of the set up, and it proved to be a real cliffhanger for me and probably for the birds, too. They had three failed attempts but by the fourth successive tty they were functioning like a well-oiled machine. Aviary Central to all observations was the design and placement. of the aviary which is built into an L-shaped corner of the house and measures a slightly irregular 16' (4.8m) x 12' (3.6m). It is fully roofed, enclosed on three sides and open to the south. Even then, part of this exposure is enclosed by rigid aetylic, and plastic sheeting on wooden frames was made to fit all the open wire and is now kept permanently in place on the lower four feet of the open side. This made it, in effect, a cold greenhouse and has enabled two amazingly hardy tropical fruits, Passion Vine P. edulis and Feijoa F. sellowiana, to survive. However, this aviary is designed not to be viewed from the garden but from inside the house. A large kitchen window takes up most of one end, affording a view of 95% of the area. A feeding table was placed hard against,the window and a water dish was set beneath a tap on the ground just below. In addition, a small bathroom window is located halfway along the adjacent wall. From a seat at the kitchen table, the birds were observed in great detail. For the final, successful nesting, an open-fronted cardboard box was placed on the wall opposite the big window in such a position that the inside could be seen easily with binoculars. All details of brooding and feeding behavior were thus noted. It was also easy to observe the chicks when they finally hatched. The adults, in good condition save for some badly frayed feathers, were obtained in late February just when I returned from Britain. As the birds were almost at the pairing-up stage, I had no time to do anything but put them straight out in the aviary. Usually there is little chance of breeding unacclimatecl birds obtained so late. As is the usual policy, I worked in the aviary as much as possible so that the birds became used to my presence. With the Myadestes, this only took about a week. The frayed tail of the hen proved useful in identifying the birds at a distance. The hen had just come into breeding condition and she actively solicited attention. However, the cock chased her off. The next morning she was nowhere to be seen and a hurried search located her hung1y and slightly injured on the ground, hiding beneath some large Calla Lily leaves. There was blood on the inside of one wing but the injury was superficial and within an hour she was jumping around in a small cage. Thereafter followed the most nervewracking month I have ever experienced in bird keeping - worse even than breeding the bad tempered Barelwicke's. The cock and hen were alternated daily in a small cage, placed on a stepladder inside the aviary. When the hen was out, she ran up and down on the roof of the cage, bobbing her tail seductively. The cock has fine little quarter inch white plumules hidden at the "shoulder" of his wing (like the blue epaulettes of the Chloropsis) which he sticks out and vibrates if excited or, more usually, if annoyed and threatening a rival. When the cock was out, he rammed the polypropylene netting and bristled his white flashes while attempting to drive off the hen. At other times, he would sit pensively on top of the cage for an hour. Both birds raised the feathers on the back of the head when confronting one another. A second male was put out in another cage beside the hen, as a distraction, but this only drove the resident male into a greater rage as he tried to get...

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