Hobbies And Interests

Types of Mockingbirds

Known for their melodious song, the mockingbird has chirped its way through lullabies and famous literature. A sociable bird, the mockingbird can be found in urban cities as easily as wide open rural spaces. There are many different types of mockingbird, all closely associated with a particular geographic region.
  1. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus Polyglottos)

    • The northern mockingbird is the most commonly sighted mockingbird in North America. Its popularity and ubiquity led the state of Texas to declare the northern mockingbird its official state bird in 1927. Light gray or brown in color, the northern mockingbird has a slender body, short wings and a long tail. The wings are double banded with stripes of white, and the stomach and throat of the northern mockingbird are soft white. The eye of an adult northern mockingbird is surrounded by a small patch of dark feathers, and the beak has a slight downward curve. Northern mockingbirds can be found throughout North America, in both urban and rural environments.

    Other Mimidae Mockingbirds

    • While the northern mockingbird is the most commonly spotted member of the Mimidae family, there are dozens of other birds that fall into this category including the chalk-browed mockingbird and Bahama mockingbird. While the Bahama mockingbird can only be found on its eponymous islands, the chalk-browed mockingbird is found throughout South America, especially in Brazil. Thrashers and catbirds are also part of the Mimidae family.

    Blue Mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens)

    • The blue mockingbird is found primarily in Central America and the southwestern corner of the United States. Sightings of the blue mockingbird are extremely rare in the United States, with less than a handful on record. With a bright blue body and navy-black feathers under the tail, the blue mockingbird is extremely distinctive. The beak is black and curved, and the eye is surrounded with a patch of black feathers. Unlike blue jays, a blue mockingbird has no crest on the top of its head and no white breast. There is a blue and white mockingbird (Melanotis hypolecus) with a white breast, but it is found only in southern Mexico.

    Galapagos Island Mockingbirds

    • When Charles Darwin stopped at the Galapagos Islands on his groundbreaking 1831 voyage with the H.M.S. Beagle, he was astounded by the diversity among the wildlife of the isolated islands. While history remembers Darwin's writings on tortoises, Darwin wrote extensively on the four types of mockingbirds found on the Galapagos Islands: the Charles mockingbird (Nesomimus trifasciatus), the Chatham mockingbird (Nesomimus melanotis), the Galapagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus) and the hood mockingbird (Nesomimus macdonaldi). Each type of mockingbird has a specific look, though they are generally gray to brown in color. The hood mockingbird is distinguished from the Galapagos mockingbird by its longer beak; the Chatham mockingbird is rarely seen; and tourists are not permitted on Champion Island, the home of the Charles mockingbird.


https://www.htfbw.com © Hobbies And Interests