Blue-and-white Mockingbird
Melanotis hypoleucus
Skulking and heard far more often than seen, this fairly large and ample-tailed songbird replaces Blue Mockingbird in highlands and foothills south of Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Favors thickets, dense scrubby woodlands, and forest understory. Behavior similar to Blue Mockingbird: skulking and difficult to see clearly. Plumage striking: denim-blue above with a black mask, white below. Varied songs and calls similar to Blue Mockingbird.
Identification
The blue-and-white mockingbird is 24.2 to 28 cm (9.5 to 11.0 in) long; 20 specimens had a mean mass of 68 g (2.4 oz). The adults' upperparts are a dull slate blue that is slightly brighter on the crown. The wings and tail are slaty black. A conspicuous black "mask" covers from the lores past the eye. The underparts are white darkening to bluish or slate gray on the flanks and vent area. The juvenile has a similar pattern but its upperparts are dull slaty gray instead of blue.
Taxonomy
The blue-and-white mockingbird is monotypic. It and the blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) are the only species in their genus.
- Scientific name
- Melanotis hypoleucus
- Authority
- Hartlaub, 1852
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Mimidae
- Genus
- Melanotis
Range and habitat
The blue-and-white mockingbird is a year round resident of Mexico from south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec through Guatemala to El Salvador and southern Honduras. It inhabits a variety of landscapes including the edges of humid evergreen forest, pine-oak forest, second growth, and humid and semi-arid scrublands. In elevation it ranges between 900 and 3,000 m (3,000 and 9,800 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The blue-and-white mockingbird primarily forages on the ground, by sweeping aside leaf litter with its bill. Though its diet has not been fully documented, its primary food appears to be invertebrates and it also eats small fruits.<p>The blue-and-white mockingbird's breeding season extends at least from May to August. Females build the nest, a shallow cup of fibrous roots on top of a platform of sticks. It is placed in dense thickets or small trees. The clutch size is two. The female incubates the eggs and broods the nestlings but both sexes feed them.<p>The blue-and-white mockingbird's song has been described as "an amazing medley of bird notes...[including] a rapid series of monosyllables, now a shrill squeak, now a whistle, now a guttural croak...certainly not musical or harmonious". It also has a wide variety of calls.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tapajos Scythebill
Campylorhamphus probatus
A brown, tree-climbing bird with a strongly curved bill. Appears small-headed; plumage is mostly rufous-brown with buffy streaking on head and neck. Found in tall rainforest, where it is uncommon and locally distributed; often occurs in areas with extensive bamboo thickets. Generally shy and rather difficult to observe. Forages at middle and upper levels, using extraordinary bill to probe into deep bark crevices, bromeliads, and broken bamboo stems. Regularly follows mixed-species flocks. Song is a fast, rich trill, rising and falling slightly in pitch, often preceded by a longer overslurred note. Curved bill should immediately distinguish this species from other woodcreepers in range. Occurs in central Amazonia, south of the Amazon River, between the Madeira and Xingu Rivers.
Olrog's Gull
Larus atlanticus
Large, dark-backed gull with a broad black band on a white tail. Breeding adults have mostly clean white bodies with black backs and wings. In the nonbreeding season, adults have a black hood and a broken white eye-ring. Immatures are very distinctive, with mottled gray-brown backs and brown breasts and heads with a white patch around the bill. Usually seen on the immediate coast, where it mostly eats crabs. During the austral winter, some migrate farther north.
Chukar
Alectoris chukar
Boldly-patterned quail-like bird, often in small flocks on dry rocky slopes with sparse grass and brush. Male and female similar. Overall pale sandy brownish-gray with bold black stripe on the face. Also look for red bill and legs and black stripes on sides. Usually seen scurrying around on the ground, but males perch conspicuously when singing, often on large rocks. Song is a series of scratchy notes; sounds like it’s saying its name with emphasis on the second syllable: “chuKAR, chuKAR, chuKAR.” Native to Asia and the Middle East, where range barely overlaps with any similar species; note creamy throat to help separate from Rock Partridge. Introduced and well-established in western North America, New Zealand, and Hawaii; escaped cage birds or hunting stock can occur elsewhere.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.