Chilean Mockingbird
Mimus thenca
Common and conspicuous bird of central Chile, especially in drier regions. Favors open and semiopen habitats, especially matorral and scrubby hillsides, but also in town parks and farmland. Often seen perched on roadside wires and posts, or running along roadsides with tail cocked. No other mockingbirds normally in same range. Note bold pale eyebrow, dark whisker, dark streaks on flanks, and bold white tail corners in flight.
Identification
The Chilean mockingbird is 28 to 29 cm (11 to 11 in) long and weighs 66 g (2.3 oz). The male is somewhat larger than the female. Adults have a wide whitish supercilium . Their crown, neck, and back are brownish gray with darker streaks and their rump browner. The wings and tail are blackish. The wings show two narrow bars when folded. The outermost tail feathers have white edges and most of the others have white tips. The throat is whitish, the chest brownish gray, the belly dirty white, and the flanks buffy with blackish streaks. The juvenile is similar but more buffy below with more streaks.
Taxonomy
The Chilean mockingbird is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Mimus thenca
- Authority
- (Molina, 1782)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Mimus
Range and habitat
The Chilean mockingbird is found in Chile from Copiapó Province in the Atacama Region south to Los Lagos, Puerto Montt, and Chiloé Island. A small population also exists in Neuquén Province, Argentina.<p>The Chilean mockingbird inhabits a wide variety of biomes, most of which are characterized by scrub, shrubs, or widely spaced trees. Examples include succulent coastal scrub, inland savanna bushland, and evergreen Chilean matorral. It also occurs at the edges of low relict woodland patches such as those in Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park and in disturbed habitats, though only rarely in urban areas. It shuns Nothofagus and Cryptocarya woodlands in the south and plantations of introduced pines in central Chile. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Chilean mockingbird forages mainly on the ground, turning over leaf litter and digging under fallen branches and around plant stems. It also hunts in vegetation up to 3 m (9.8 ft) above ground. It is omnivorous; it has been documented feeding on insects, wild and cultivated fruits, nectar, and a small lizard.<p>The Chilean mockingbird nests mainly in October and November. They are territorial, probably throughout the year. Their nest is a cup made of twigs lined with moss or wool, placed low in vegetion such as cacti and thorny bushes. The clutch size is two to four. The nest is often parasitized by shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis).<p>The Chilean mockingbird sings year round, "a series of sweet, variable notes and phrases". It is an "excellent mimic of other bird species."
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Spectacular large black eagle. Distinctive in flight, when it shows a long tail and long wings that pinch in at the base. There are white patches toward the ends of the wings and on the back. Immature is brownish on the back and streaked below but still shows white panels in the wings and the characteristic shape. Found around cliffs and other rocky terrain in mountainous areas. Call is an upslurred scream. Separated from Long-crested Eagle by different shape: lankier, with a longer tail and narrower, more pointed wings.
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