New Northern Records for Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories

Abstract

On 10 May 2015, a Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) was observed near the hamlet of Kugluktuk in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. This represents the first record for the territory and the first observation above the canadian tree line. We discuss new data from the Northwest Territories of singing males recorded by autonomous recording units, which may represent breeding evidence at the northeastern limit of the species’ range. We summarize other observations of this species across northwestern canada and describe the ecology of the lower coppermine River.