Chalk-browed Mockingbird
Mimus saturninus
Large mockingbird found in a variety of open non-forest habitats including urban areas. Brownish-gray above and pale below with a white-tipped tail. Note the conspicuous broad white eyebrow. May become stained by local soils and appear browner. The song is very variable and includes the songs of other species.
Identification
The chalk-browed mockingbird is 23.5 to 26 cm (9.3 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 55 to 73 g (1.9 to 2.6 oz). Males are slightly larger than females. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown crown, a broad white supercilium, a blackish line through the eye, and white cheeks. Their upperparts are brownish with some darker streaks; the rump is buffier. Their wings are blackish and show two obscure bars when folded. The tail is also blackish; most feathers have white tips and the outermost have white edges. The underside of their body is white from the throat to the vent, though the breast has a gray tinge and the flanks are buffy with faint dark streaks. The juvenile is browner than the adult and has buffier underparts with dark streaks on the breast.<p>M. s. frater is browner than the nominate, including the rump that is not buffy like the nominate's. M. s. arenaceus is essentially the same as frater but has a larger bill. M. s. modulator has some blackish brown spotting on its crown and back, lacks the gray tinge on the breast, and the flanks are paler and often unstreaked.
Taxonomy
The chalk-browed mockingbird has four subspecies: the nominate Mimus saturninus saturninus, M. s. arenaceus, M. s. frater, and M. s. modulator.
- Scientific name
- Mimus saturninus
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Mimus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of chalk-browed mockingbird is found in southern Suriname and adjoining Pará state in Brazil. M. s. arenaceus is found in eastern Brazil from Paraíba state south to eastern Bahia state. M. s. frater is found in central and eastern Bolivia and much of central Brazil. M. s. modulator is found from southeastern Bolivia and Paraguay into central Argentina and extreme southeastern Brazil.<p>The chalk-browed mockingbird inhabits open areas such as savannas, forest edges, open woodland, pastures with scattered trees, and urban and suburban gardens. It is generally a bird of the lowlands but reaches as high as about 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in northern Argentina.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The chalk-browed mockingbird is omnivorous; it feeds on fruits, seeds, berries, insects, and other small vertebrates. It occasionally predates the eggs and nestlings of other birds. It forages mostly on the ground.<p>The chalk-browed mockingbird's breeding season spans from September to January. The species is territorial and monogamous, though both related and unrelated helpers have been documented to aid in territory defense and in caring for young. The nest is a shallow cup made of twigs lined with finer material. It is typically placed in a low tree or dense shrub within 3 m (9.8 ft) of the ground, though sometimes higher. The clutch size is three or four. Nests are often parasitized by the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis).<p>The chalk-browed mockingbird's song is loud, a "varied series of notes, trills, [and] phrases". Its calls include a "sharp and penetrating 'tshrip'" and a "snorting sha-sha-sha". It often mimics other species including some raptors.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Planalto Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus pelzelni
Small antshrike found in the lower and middle levels of dry forests and at the edge of humid forests. Males are gray overall with a black crown, and white-spotted black wings and tail. Females have a rusty crown, back, and tail, are buff below with white spots on the wings. The song is a loud and long series of around 20 descending notes that accelerate in pace. Doesn’t overlap in range with similar Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and is told from Variable Antshrike by paler gray plumage in males and richer rufous color in females.
Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike
Prionops rufiventris
A boldly patterned helmetshrike of lowland forests, often seen in small vocal groups. The bill is red and the head and chin are overall silvery gray. Has a black neck band and black wings, back, and tail. The chest is white and the belly, vent, and legs are reddish. Similar to the Red-billed Helmetshrike, with which it co-occurs locally in Cameroon, but Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike can be identified by its silvery gray chin and head (including below the eye) and the more extensive reddish coloration on its belly. Calls consist of liquid whistles and repeated grating “chew-two” calls.
Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Bucorvus abyssinicus
A huge ground-dwelling hornbill. Males have a mix of blue and red bare facial skin, while females have entirely blue facial skin. In flight, a large white patch is revealed in the wings. Found in savanna, grassland, and agricultural habitats, usually in pairs or small groups, walking on the ground. Breeds and roosts in trees. Similar to Southern Ground-Hornbill, but there is little overlap in range, and Abyssinian is easily separated by the blue facial skin. The call is a series of deep “boop” notes.
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