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Tropical Mockingbird - BirdForum Opus

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Subspecies antillarum
Photo © by Richard Fray
Port Elizabeth, Bequia, Grenadines, February 2004
Mimus gilvus

Identification

Juvenile, subspecies tobagensis
Photo © by DABS
Caroni, Trinidad, 17 November 2016

Total length 23-26 cm (9-10 in). A medium-sized mockingbird with a long tail.
It is overall grey with whitish underparts. The wings are blackish with whitish edging often forming two narrow wing-bars. The tail is mainly blackish, but the outer rectrices are broadly white-tipped (best seen when the tail is spread or from below). The whitish eye-brow is border below by the dusky lores and faint post-ocular streak/spot.

Females are slightly smaller than males.
Juveniles resemble adults, but are generally browner and with dusky streaking to the flanks (some adults retain slight streaking to the lower flanks).

Variations

The numerous races vary mainly in size and plumage tone, e.g. blackness of wings and/or strength of white eye-brow.

Similar Species

In the limited area of overlap in southern Mexico, it can be separated from the very similar Northern Mockingbird by the lack of a whitish patch near the base of the primaries.

The voices of the Tropical and the Northern Mockingbird are virtually inseparable. In the coastal regions of Brazil the Tropical Mockingbird overlaps with the Chalk-browed Mockingbird, which is browner and has a stronger post-ocular streak/spot.

Distribution

Photo © by Iván Gabaldón
Mexican Caribbean, 2011

It is widespread from southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, south through Central America, to northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, far northern Brazil, far northern Ecuador and the Guianas), and coastal Brazil. It also occus in the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad & Tobago, San Andrés Island, (off E. Nicaragua) and Cozumel Island.

The population in Panama seems to have originated from escaped/released birds originating in Colombia.

Taxonomy

Hybrids between the closely related Tropical and Northern Mockingbird have been reported from Mexico.

Subspecies

This is a polytypic species, consisting of ten subspecies[1]:

It has been suggested that the subspecies magnirostris (from San Andrés Is.) and antelius (from coastal Brazil) should be regarded as separate species.

Habitat

It occurs in a wide range of open and semi-open habitats, including fields, scrub, savanna, farmland and parks. Often near humans. It avoids dense forest. Race antelius is restricted to restinga (a type of coastal scrub).

Behaviour

It is bold, aggressive and territorial.

Diet

Omnivorous. Has been recorded taking fruits, berries, insects and bird eggs.

Breeding

Typically lives in small groups, comprising a monogamous pair, and their offspring from earlier broods, which help raising new broods.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
  3. Birdforum Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1



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