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
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Chlorostilbon lucidus
Small green hummingbird found in a variety of open and semiopen habitats, such as forest edges, deserts, savannas, and gardens. Visits feeders. Iridescent green body with a forked dark blue tail and dark wings. Males have a black-tipped red bill with a blue throat, while females have a white belly, black mask, and a black bill with a red base.
Giant Kingbird
Tyrannus cubensis
A large flycatcher typically found singly or in pairs hunting from upper branches in wooded areas. It is grayish above and whitish below with a blackish crown and face, which resembles Eastern, Gray and Loggerhead Kingbirds, but none have the truly massive bill of the Giant Kingbird. Eastern Kingbird can also be separated by its bold white tail band, which is absent on Giant Kingbird. Gray Kingbird has a paler head with a dusky mask unlike Giant Kingbird. Loggerhead Kingbird has a gray tail band and its tail is typically squared off whereas the tail is usually notched in Giant. Calls include a squeaky “trrp-bee-bee-bip,” a shrill “trrree-bip,” and various peeps and chatters.
Bare-necked Umbrellabird
Cephalopterus glabricollis
Large black bird found inside forest, usually at middle levels. Reminiscent of a crow with a funky hairdo; unlike any other species in its range. Male’s bare red throat sac is usually visible, even when not inflated. Female lacks the throat sac and the puffy umbrella-like crest, but she is still distinctively large and all-black. Rare and local.
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