Mockingbird

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Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos1.jpg
Northern mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Superfamily: Muscicapoidea
Family: Mimidae
Genera

Melanotis
Mimus

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, [1] often loudly and in rapid succession and for being extremely territorial when raising hatchlings. Studies have shown the ability of some species to identify individual humans and treat them differently based on learned threat assessments. [2]

Contents

The only mockingbird commonly found in North America is the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). The Greek word πολύγλωττος : polyglottos means 'multiple languages'. Mockingbirds are known for singing late at night, even past midnight. [3]

They are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on insects, fruits, seeds, and occasional greens. [4]

audio recording of mockingbird, note the variety of vocalizations

The northern mockingbird is the state bird of five states in the United States, a trend that was started in 1920, when the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs proposed the idea. In January 1927, Governor Dan Moody approved this, and Texas became the first state ever to choose a state bird. Since then, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee have also adopted the Northern Mockingbird as their official state bird. [5]

Taxonomy

There are about 17 species in two genera, although three species of mockingbird from the Galápagos Islands were formerly separated into a third genus, Nesomimus . The mockingbirds do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage, as Mimus and Melanotis are not each other's closest relatives; instead, Melanotis appears to be more closely related to the catbirds, while the closest living relatives of Mimus appear to be thrashers, such as the sage thrasher. [6] [7]

Fledgling stage of the northern mockingbird Mimus polyglottos (Mockingbird Fledgling).jpg
Fledgling stage of the northern mockingbird

Species in taxonomic order

Mimus:

Formerly Nesomimus (endemic to the Galapagos):

Melanotis:

Charles Darwin

The Chilean mockingbird, Mimus thenca Chilean Mockingbird.jpg
The Chilean mockingbird, Mimus thenca

When the survey voyage of HMS Beagle visited the Galápagos Islands in September to October 1835, the naturalist Charles Darwin noticed that the mockingbirds Mimus thenca differed from island to island, and were closely allied in appearance to mockingbirds on the South American mainland. Nearly a year later when writing up his notes on the return voyage he speculated that this, [8] together with what he had been told about Galápagos tortoises, could undermine the doctrine of stability of species. This was his first recorded expression of doubts about species being immutable, which led to his being convinced about the transmutation of species and hence evolution. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimid</span> Family of birds

The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. As their name suggests, these birds are notable for their vocalization, especially some species' remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. They are commonly referred to as mimic thrushes but are not, in fact, thrushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrasher</span> New World group of passerine birds

Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's finches</span> Group of related bird species in the Galápagos Islands

Darwin's finches are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or tribe Geospizini. They belong to the tanager family and are not closely related to the true finches. The closest known relative of the Galápagos finches is the South American dull-coloured grassquit. They were first collected when the second voyage of the Beagle visited the Galápagos Islands, with Charles Darwin on board as a gentleman naturalist. Apart from the Cocos finch, which is from Cocos Island, the others are found only on the Galápagos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The northern mockingbird is a mockingbird commonly found in North America, of the family Mimidae. The species is also found in some parts of the Caribbean, as well as on the Hawaiian Islands. It is typically a permanent resident across much of its range, but northern mockingbirds may move farther south during inclement weather or prior to the onset of winter. The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray catbird</span> Species of bird

The gray catbird, also spelled grey catbird, is a medium-sized North American and Central American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus Dumetella. Like the black catbird, it is among the basal lineages of the Mimidae, probably a closer relative of the Caribbean thrasher and trembler assemblage than of the mockingbirds and Toxostoma thrashers. In some areas it is known as the slate-colored mockingbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catbird</span> Group of birds

Several unrelated groups of songbirds are called catbirds because of their wailing calls, which resemble a cat's meowing. The genus name Ailuroedus likewise is from the Greek for 'cat-singer' or 'cat-voiced'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sage thrasher</span> Species of bird

The sage thrasher is a medium-sized passerine bird from the family Mimidae, which also includes mockingbirds, tremblers, and New World catbirds. It is the only member of the genus Oreoscoptes. This seems less close to the Caribbean thrashers, but rather to the mockingbirds instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socorro mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The Socorro mockingbird is an endangered mockingbird endemic to Socorro Island in Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands. The specific epithet commemorates the American ornithologist Andrew Jackson Grayson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The tropical mockingbird is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico to northern and eastern South America and in the Lesser Antilles and other Caribbean islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearly-eyed thrasher</span> Species of bird

The pearly-eyed thrasher is a bird in the thrasher family Mimidae. It is found on many Caribbean islands, from the Bahamas in the north to the Grenadines in the south, with an isolated subspecies on Bonaire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trembler</span> Genus of birds

Tremblers (Cinclocerthia) are a genus of perching birds in the family Mimidae that are endemic to the Lesser Antilles. They are medium-small, mostly brown or grey birds with long beaks and tails that typically are held cocked. Most recent authorities recognize two species in the genus, but some split each into two species, bringing it to four species:

<i>Mimus</i> Genus of birds

Mimus is a bird genus in the family Mimidae. It contains the typical mockingbirds. In 2007, the genus Nesomimus was merged into Mimus by the American Ornithologists' Union. The genus name is Latin for "mimic".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patagonian mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The Patagonian mockingbird is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found in much of Argentina and locally in Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hood mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The Hood mockingbird, also known as the Española mockingbird, is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Española Island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, and it is one of four closely related mockingbird species endemic to the Galápagos archipelago. It is found in dry forests and is omnivorous, though it primarily is a carnivore or scavenger. The species has a highly territorial social structure and has no fear of humans. It is the only species of Galápagos mockingbird that Charles Darwin did not see or collect on the voyage of HMS Beagle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Cristóbal mockingbird</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galápagos mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The Galápagos mockingbird is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floreana mockingbird</span> Species of bird

The Floreana mockingbird or the Charles Island mockingbird, is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It was endemic to Floreana, one of the Galápagos Islands, but now is found only on two nearby islets, Campeón and Gardner-near-Floreana. The Floreana mockingbird is also known as Darwin's mockingbird, as it was the arguable inspiration for Charles Darwin's work on the origins of species; he noticed distinct differences between them and previous species he had encountered and consequently established the existence of other variants on neighboring islands.

Sideroxylon socorrense is a plant species in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to Mexico, native to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands and to the Pacific coast states of Sinaloa and Nayarit on the Mexican mainland.

References

  1. "What is a Mockingbird? - 10,000 Birds". April 24, 2007.
  2. Levey, Douglas J.; Londoño, Gustavo A.; Ungvari-Martin, Judit; Hiersoux, Monique R.; Jankowski, Jill E.; Poulsen, John R.; Stracey, Christine M.; Robinson, Scott K. (2009-06-02). "Urban mockingbirds quickly learn to identify individual humans". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (22): 8959–8962. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.8959L. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0811422106 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   2690012 . PMID   19451622.
  3. "Northern Mockingbird Sounds, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org.
  4. Featherstone, Nicky (2022-10-18). "What Do Mockingbirds Eat?". Forest Wildlife. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  5. Goulet, Brianna (1999-11-30). "What Is Texas State Bird? Interesting Facts & ID". Birdzilla - Enjoyin' Birds. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  6. Hunt, Jeffrey S.; Bermingham, Eldredge; & Ricklefs, Robert E. (2001): "Molecular systematics and biogeography of Antillean thrashers, tremblers, and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae)." Auk 118(1): 3555. DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0035:MSABOA]2.0.CO;2
  7. Barber, Brian R.; Martínez-Gómez, Juan E. & Peterson, A. Townsend (2004) "Systematic position of the Socorro mockingbird Mimodes graysoni." J. Avian Biol. 35: 195198. doi : 10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03233.x
  8. Mockingbirds, finches: origins of Darwin's theories
  9. The Natural History Museum (2009-10-07), Darwin's mockingbirds knock finches off perch | Natural History Museum , retrieved 2018-07-17