About Entomodestes coracinus (Berlepsch, 1897)
The black solitaire (Entomodestes coracinus) is about 23 cm (9.1 in) long; one recorded individual weighed 56 g (2.0 oz). Males and females share the same plumage pattern. Adult black solitaires are almost entirely glossy black, with silvery white patches on the "cheeks" stretching from the base of the bill to the ear coverts, white underwing coverts, and white on the lower halves of their outer tail feathers. Adults have a red iris, a black upper mandible, a yellowish orange lower mandible, and dark grayish brown legs and feet. Juveniles are mostly dull brown, with less white marking than adults.
The black solitaire is native to the Chocó region, with a range extending from Chocó Department in west-central Colombia south to Pichincha Province in northwestern Ecuador, and occurs only intermittently across this overall range. It inhabits the interior and edges of wet forest in the tropical and lower subtropical zones, and is occasionally found in secondary forest. It particularly favors dense, mossy forest. In terms of elevation, it occurs between 400 and 2,300 m (1,300 and 7,500 ft) in Colombia, and between 1,100 and 1,600 m (3,600 and 5,200 ft) in Ecuador.
