From Opus

Mimus polyglottos

Photo by Joe A.
Photo taken in Spring, Texas, USA.

[edit] Identification

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

[edit] Similar Species

May be confused with a Shrike (Northern or Loggerhead), but note different body shape, bill shape, and mask.

[edit] Distribution

Southern United States north to California in the west and central New York and southern Maine in the east. Also found in the Caribbean and Mexico. Casual vagrant north of range. Accidental vagrant to the UK and the Netherlands. Introduced to Hawaii.

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of three subspecies.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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. It agressively defends its nest and territories from all encroachement, and will attack much larger animals and even humans who come too near.
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.
Nesting: They build a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree.
Voice: This 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.

[edit] External Links