| Blue-and-white mockingbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Mimidae |
| Genus: | Melanotis |
| Species: | M. hypoleucus |
| Binomial name | |
| Melanotis hypoleucus Hartlaub, 1852 | |
 | |
The blue-and-white mockingbird (Melanotis hypoleucus) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. [2]
The blue-and-white mockingbird is monotypic. It and the blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) are the only species in their genus. [2]
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. [3]
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). [3]
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. [3]
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. [3]
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. [3]
The IUCN has assessed the blue-and-white mockingbird as being of Least Concern. [1] Though it has a large geographic range, its population has not been quantified and "[h]abitat destruction or degradation may jeopardize the viability of populations". [3]
The emerald toucanet or northern emerald toucanet is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae occurring in mountainous regions of Mexico and Central America. Several taxa formerly included within this species have now been re-classified into separate species of their own.
The yellow-green vireo is a small American passerine bird. It is migratory breeding from Mexico to Panama and wintering in the northern and eastern Andes and the western Amazon Basin.
The rufous-backed wren is a songbird of the family Troglodytidae. It is a resident breeding species from southwest Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica.
The blue bunting is a species of passerine in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The blue-tailed hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.
The blue-throated goldentail, also known as the blue-throated sapphire, is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.
The Pacific screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The Middle American screech owl, also known as the Guatemalan screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from northern Mexico to northern Nicaragua.
The blue-throated motmot is a species of bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The tody motmot is a species of bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The Cabanis's seedeater is a species of bird in the cardinal family Cardinalidae that the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) accepted as a species in 2015. It is found southern Mexico and Central America.
The blue mockingbird is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.
The northern nightingale-wren, or nightingale wren, is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The San Cristóbal mockingbird or Chatham mockingbird, is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Islands.
The white-lored gnatcatcher is a species of bird in the family Polioptilidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The spot-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Cabanis's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The white-bellied wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The Yucatan vireo is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae.
The black-headed trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and heavily degraded former forest.
