Difference between revisions of "Northern Mockingbird" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 20:51, 28 January 2023

Photo © by Scott Murphy
Pawleys Island, South Carolina, USA, 26 April 2021

Mimus polyglottos

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by mali
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA, 2016

9-11 inches (23–28 cm)

Gray above, white below
Black flight feathers with large white patches that flash in flight
White outer tail feathers
Slim white eye-line

Adult has a yellow eye while the juvenile eye is brown

Similar Species

May be confused with a Shrike (Northern or Loggerhead), but note different body shape, bill shape, and mask. Bahama Mockingbird is occasionally seen in Florida, and in Mexico there are other species of Mockingbirds.

Distribution

Subspecies polyglottos, harassing a Crested Caracara
Photo © by Stanley Jones
James H. Robbins Memorial Park, Smith Point, Chambers County, Texas, USA, April 2018

Breeds commonly throughout most of the USA but absent from the north-west and north-central states, also breeds sparsely in south-east Canada.

Interior populations are migratory wintering in the southern USA, on the east coast resident from Maine southwards.

Casual vagrant north of range.

Introduced to Hawaii.

In the Western Palearctic recorded in Britain, in Cornwall, August 1982 and Essex, May 1988, and at Schiermonnikoog in the Netherlands in October 1988 and another in the Netherlands in March 2001. These birds may have had a captive origin and others seen in Europe are generally considered to relate to escapes including one or two further British reports.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Wing flashing behaviour^[2]
Photo © by CurtMorgan
Parker River NWR, Newbury, Massachusetts, April 2012

This is a polytypic species consisting of three subspecies^[1]:

M. p. leucopterus:

South-western Canada to southern Baja California and south-western Mexico (Oaxaca)

M. p. polyglottos:

Eastern Canada to central, eastern and south-eastern US

M. p. orpheus:

Bahamas and Greater Antilles

Habitat

Woodland edges, copses and hedgerows, very common in suburban gardens and also found in many city parks.
In winter, maintains a small territory around patches of fruiting shrubs/trees that it defends from other birds.

Behaviour

As an intelligent and resourceful bird that is at home in a variety of habitats and can coexist with human settlement, this species is not likely to be endangered in any forseeable future.

They have a habit of wing-flashing, which hasn't been entirely explained.^[2]

Diet

These birds forage on the ground or in vegetation and fly down from a perch to capture food. Diet includes insects, berries and seeds.

Breeding

They build a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree.

They aggressively defend the nest and territories from all encroachment, and will attack much larger animals and even humans who come too near.

Vocalisation

The species name is a result of its many and varied vocalizations, and its ability to mimic other bird calls and sounds of many types. Particularly at dawn it produces a veritable concert of songs, often not repeating the same pattern for a considerable period.

This habit of singing longest and loudest at dawn leads some people to resent the Mockingbird, and even attempt to eliminate it from their environments.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
BF thread discussing wing-flashing behaviour
Farnsworth, G., G. A. Londono, J. U. Martin, K. C. Derrickson, and R. Breitwisch (2020). Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.normoc.01

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Northern Mockingbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Northern_Mockingbird

External Links

Search for photos of Northern Mockingbird in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-;Mimus polyglottos
+[[File:Northern_Mockingbird_STM.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|STM|Scott Murphy}}<br />Pawleys Island, [[South Carolina]], [[USA]], 26 April 2021]]
-[[Image:Northern_Mockingbird.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Joe A.]]
+;[[:Category:Mimus|Mimus]] polyglottos
 ==Identification==
-Photo taken in Spring, Texas, USA
+[[Image:Northern Mockingbird 2697 .jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|mali|mali}}<br />Fuquay-Varina, [[North Carolina]], [[USA]], 2016]]
+-11 inches (23–28 cm)
+*Gray above, white below
+*Black flight feathers with large white patches that flash in flight
+*White outer tail feathers
+*Slim white eye-line<br />
+Adult has a yellow eye while the juvenile eye is brown
+====Similar Species====
+May be confused with a Shrike ([[Northern Shrike|Northern]] or [[Loggerhead Shrike|Loggerhead]]), but note different body shape, bill shape, and mask. [[Bahama Mockingbird]] is occasionally seen in Florida, and in Mexico there are other species of Mockingbirds.
-The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America.
+==Distribution==
+[[Image:Mockingbird attacking Crested Caracara.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''polyglottos'', harassing a [[Crested Caracara]]<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Stanley+Jones|Stanley Jones}}<br />James H. Robbins Memorial Park, Smith Point, Chambers County, [[Texas]], [[USA]], April 2018]]
+'''Breeds''' commonly throughout most of the [[USA]] but absent from the north-west and north-central states, also breeds sparsely in south-east [[Canada]].
+Interior populations are '''migratory''' wintering in the southern USA, on the east coast resident from [[Maine]] southwards.
-==Distribution==
+Casual vagrant north of range.
-Breeds commonly throughout most of the USA but absent from the north-west and north-central states, also breeds sparsely in south-east Canada.
-Interior populations are migratory wintering in the southern USA, on the east coast resident from Maine southwards.
+Introduced to [[Hawaii]].
-In the Western Palearctic recorded in Britain, in Cornwall, August 1982 and Essex, May 1988, and at Schiermonnikoog in the Netherlands in October 1988 and another in the Netherlands in March 2001. These birds may have had a captive origin and others seen in Europe are generally considered to relate to escapes including one or two further British reports.
+In the [[Western Palearctic]] recorded in [[Britain]], in [[Cornwall]], August 1982 and [[Essex]], May 1988, and at Schiermonnikoog in the [[Netherlands]] in October 1988 and another in the Netherlands in March 2001. These birds may have had a captive origin and others seen in [[Europe]] are generally considered to relate to escapes including one or two further British reports.
 ==Taxonomy==
+====Subspecies====
+[[Image:WingFlash.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Wing flashing behaviour<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup><br />Photo &copy; by {{user|CurtMorgan|CurtMorgan}}<br />Parker River NWR, Newbury, [[Massachusetts]], April 2012]]
+This is a [[Dictionary_P-S#P|polytypic]] species consisting of three subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''M. p. leucopterus'':
+:*South-western [[Canada]] to southern [[Baja California]] and south-western [[Mexico]] (Oaxaca)
+*''M. p. polyglottos'':
+:*Eastern [[Canada]] to central, eastern and south-eastern [[US]]
+*''M. p. orpheus'':
+:*[[Bahamas]] and [[Greater Antilles]]
 ==Habitat==
-Woodland edges, copses and hedgerows, very common in suburban gardens and also found in many city parks. Mockingbirds have a strong preference for certain trees such as maple, sweetgum, and sycamore. They generally avoid pine trees after the other trees have grown their leaves. Also, they have a particular preference for high places, such as the topmost branches of trees. Mockingbirds are often found in urban and suburban areas, where they perch on telephone poles, streetlights, or high points on buildings.
+Woodland edges, copses and hedgerows, very common in suburban gardens and also found in many city parks.<br/>
+In winter, maintains a small territory around patches of fruiting shrubs/trees that it defends from other birds.
 ==Behaviour==
-These birds forage on the ground or in vegetation; they also fly down from a perch to capture food. They mainly eat insects, berries and seeds. While foraging they frequently spread their wings in a peculiar two-step motion to display the white patches. The Northern Mockingbird builds a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree, which it aggressively defends against other birds and animals, including humans. When a predator is persistent, Mockingbirds from neighboring territories, summoned by a distinct call, may join the attack. Other birds may gather to watch as the Mockingbirds harass the intruder.
+As an intelligent and resourceful bird that is at home in a variety of habitats and can coexist with human settlement, this species is not likely to be endangered in any forseeable future.
-While singing on a high perch they will often bolt several feet into the air in a looping motion, with wings outstretched to display their white underside, then land back on the perch without breaking a note. This action serves as a territorial display.
+They have a habit of wing-flashing, which hasn't been entirely explained.<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
+====Diet====
+[[Image:Mockingbird NDT.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by the late '''[https://www.birdforum.net/gallery/users/d-taylor.40197/ Donny Taylor]'''<br />Wayne County. NC [[North Carolina]], January 2020]]
+These birds forage on the ground or in vegetation and fly down from a perch to capture food. Diet includes insects, berries and seeds.
+====Breeding====
+They build a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree.<br />
-The Northern Mockingbird, in addition to being a good mimic, is also one of the loudest and most constantly vocal of birds. It often sings through the night, especially unmated males, or when the moon is full. It sings year-round except sometimes for the late-summer moulting season. Individual males have repertoires of 50 to 200 songs; females sing as well, but more quietly and less often than males. Mockingbirds usually sing the loudest in the twilight of the early morning when the sun is on the horizon.
+They aggressively defend the nest and territories from all encroachment, and will attack much larger animals and even humans who come too near.
+====Vocalisation====
+The species name is a result of its many and varied vocalizations, and its ability to mimic other bird calls and sounds of many types.  Particularly at dawn it produces a veritable concert of songs, often not repeating the same pattern for a considerable period.
-In addition to its well-known song, the Northern Mockingbird utilizes a variety of calls to communicate specific information. As with its song, these calls are among some of the louder sounds produced by birds of its size. Mockingbirds make a harsh, raspy noise when chasing other birds out of their territory. A similar but distinct call is used when defending against predators like a hawk or falcon. Other calls include a wheezing noise, a "chuck" note, and a very piercing series of notes "high low" repeated twice.
+This habit of singing longest and loudest at dawn leads some people to resent the Mockingbird, and even attempt to eliminate it from their environments.
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug21}}#[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2413004#post2413004 BF thread] discussing wing-flashing behaviour
+#Farnsworth, G., G. A. Londono, J. U. Martin, K. C. Derrickson, and R. Breitwisch (2020). Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.normoc.01
+{{ref}}
+==External Links==
+{{GSearch|"Mimus polyglottos" {{!}} "Northern Mockingbird"}}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
-==External Links==
+[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Mimus]]
-*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?stype=1&si=Northern+Mockingbird&perpage=24&sort=1&cat=525&ppuser=photo=15189&password=&sort=1&cat=525&page=1 View more images of Northern Mockingbird in the gallery]
-[[Category:Birds]]