- Mimus dorsalis
Identification
About 23 cm (9 in)
Adult: Uppersides chestnut-brown tending to bright chestnut on rump and streaked darker on crown. Tail is black but outer rectrices white (3-4 pairs especially visible in flight). Wings are dark brown with feathers edged buff or white (two white wing bars). In flight, a white wing panel is visible, due to white primary coverts. Underside is mostly pale with buff wash on breast and flanks. In the face is a black eye-stripe bordered above with a prominant pale supercilium and below with brownish-buff.
Juvenile is spotted on the breast.
Distribution
South America: found in Bolivia and extreme northwest Argentina. Mostly believed to be resident, but have possibly been observed in Chile and once documented from Peru.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Arid montane scrub, shrub and pastures mainly between 2500 and 3500 m asl.
Behaviour
Information about food is lacking but it seems to be feeding on the ground.
Vocalizations
Sings in series of harsh sounds.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Cody, M. L. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Brown-backed Mockingbird (Mimus dorsalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brbmoc1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Brown-backed Mockingbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-backed_Mockingbird
