The Howland Picture Pages: Northern Mockingbird

Page by Royce
Last update: $Date: 2004/10/12 21:01:01 $ (UTC)

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a slim, medium sized mimid that is found across most of the U.S. Contrary to what one might expect from its name, this species is not found in Canada except in rare out-of-range sightings usually along the U.S. border. In fact, of the 11 Mimidae species, only the Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher are commonly found in our area in southern Alberta. Information does indicate that the Mockingbird is expanding its range, so perhaps at some point it really will be "northern". (The CLO profile claims that this species is "resident" in southern Canada.) In the meantime, one does not have to work hard to encounter this bird when traveling in the U.S., especially in the southern states, and I always look forward to seeing them.

Northern Mockingbirds often sit, forage and sing out in the open, whether on a bush, tree limb, post or on the ground. They seem to favor suburban environments equally as well as woodlands, pastures and desert areas. Thus they are among the species that have done okay for themselves in spite of human impact on habitat. The name comes, of course, from the fact that the Mockingbird often will imitate other bird calls or even non-bird noises, and the Mockingbird song thus is very complex. To identify a Mockingbird visually from a distance, look for bold white flashes on the wings of a gray bird somewhat larger than a Robin. The wing flashes can be seen clearly when the bird flies, but also during a perched display in which the bird jerks its wings back.

Resources where you can find out more:

• Northern Mockingbird profile at CLO including sound sample
• Northern Mockingbird profile at the USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

This Northern Mockingbird was spotted on a typical open perch in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the south Texas coast. This photo was taken with a digiscoping setup. EXIF 2.2 photo info:   320 x 497 true color Exposure time: 1/53.50 F-stop: 6.0 ISO speed: 100 Focal length: 18.9000 Exposure mode: Auto White balance: Auto Exposure bias: 0.0000 Metering mode: Spot Exposure program: Aperture priority Gain control: None Contrast: Normal Saturation: High Sharpness: Hard Camera make: NIKON Camera model: E4500

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