Blue Mockingbird
Melanotis caerulescens
Not closely related to Northern Mockingbird. Skulking and heard far more often than seen, this fairly large and ample-tailed songbird might be better named "denim catbird" for its overall dull blue plumage, mewing calls, and retiring behavior. Favors thickets, dense scrubby woodlands, and forest understory in foothills and highlands; locally to western lowlands in winter. Tosses leaves on the ground and also feeds at all levels in dense fruiting bushes and trees. Most often seen in short flights across roads or trails from cover to cover. Voice notably varied.
Identification
Measuring 9.5–10.5 in (24–27 cm) in length, and weighing between 50.2 and 59.7 g (1.77 and 2.11 oz), the blue mockingbird is a medium-sized mimid. Individuals of the subspecies caerulescens have a mean body mass slightly higher than that for individuals of the subspecies longirostris — 63.5 g (2.24 oz) for the former and 59.7 g (2.11 oz) for the latter.
Taxonomy
When he first described the blue mockingbird in 1827, William John Swainson assigned it to the mockingbird Orpheus, and when Orpheus became a junior synonym for the genus Mimus, the species was moved accordingly. Not all authorities agreed; several placed it in the thrush Turdus. However, when Charles Lucien Bonaparte moved it to its current genus Melanotis in 1850, most authorities quickly followed suit. There is disagreement as to whether it is monotypic or not.<p>Among taxonomists who believe the species is polytypic, two subspecies are generally recognized.<p>The blue mockingbird has historically been considered conspecific with the closely related blue-and-white mockingbird. Its species name is derived from the Latin adjective caerǔlěus, meaning "blue".
- Scientific name
- Melanotis caerulescens
- Authority
- (Swainson, 1827)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Melanotis
Range and habitat
The blue mockingbird lives in a variety of woodlands: humid forest, riparian thickets, scrub, pine-oak forests and second growth. It is found at elevations ranging from lowlands to 2,450 m (8,040 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The blue mockingbird builds a cup nest of twigs and rootlets.<p>The blue mockingbird is an omnivore; it feeds primarily on invertebrates, but also on some vegetable matter.
Conservation
Because of its very large range and sizable population (estimated to number 500,000–4,999,999 individuals), the blue mockingbird is rated as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There is, however, evidence that its overall numbers are dropping, primarily due to habitat fragmentation and loss. The Mexican government has named the longirostris subspecies as a taxon of "special concern".
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Singing Quail
Dactylortyx thoracicus
Small, retiring quail of forest understory. Rarely seen, but can be located by listening for noisy rustling in the leaf litter as birds scratch like chickens. Prefers to run away rather than flush. Loud song often reveals its presence, given mainly early and late in the day: first few notes similar to Little Tinamou song, but then breaks into rollicking choruses that can be almost deafening if close by. Male has rusty face and gray body, female colors reversed, with gray face and rusty body.
Forest Bittern
Zonerodius heliosylus
A large, shy bird of forest streams in the lowlands and foothills. Strong barring apart from white belly. Note the dagger-shaped bill with a broad base, striking yellow eyes and yellow legs. Solitary and feeds on small fish and crustaceans in streams. Flies up and perches in trees when flushed. Similar to the juvenile Rufous Night-Heron but found in more forested environments and has barring rather than streaks and spots. Normally silent.
Reunion Gray White-eye
Zosterops borbonicus
An unusual white-eye that lacks white around the eye, but has a puffy white rump patch. The coloration is highly variable, with four morphs occupying largely separate distributions. Can be mostly brown, mostly gray, or a mix of the two. Found in virtually all habitats with woody vegetation on the island of Reunion. A conspicuous, sociable bird that is usually found in flocks. Vaguely similar to Reunion White-eye, but easily separated by the lack of a white eye-ring and the lack of olive-green in the plumage. The song is a repetitive series of warbling notes, typical of a white-eye. The calls are rattling and squealing notes.
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