MOCKINGBIRD

'Mockingbirds' are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly and in rapid succession. Mockingbirds also have a reputation of being fierce defenders of their nests. Both male and female mockingbirds will attack or feign diving attacks on both domestic and wild felines, canines, crows and other birds, as well as humans who venture too close to their nest. Other defensive tactics involve aggressive vocalizations and adults acting wounded on the ground as a lure to draw predators away from the nest site.
Most species are tropical, but the Northern Mockingbird breeds throughout the United States and Canada. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: ''Mimus'' and ''Nesomimus'' are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be some thrashers, such as the Sage Thrasher. ''Melanotis'' is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae.(Hunt ''et al.'' 2001, Barber ''et al.'' 2004)

Contents

Species in taxonomic order

References

External links

Species in taxonomic order

Genus ''Mimus'' - typical mockingbirds

★ Northern Mockingbird, '' Mimus polyglottos''

★ Tropical Mockingbird, '' Mimus gilvus'', also known as "Nadian Mockenotis" to some Bangladeshis

★ Socorro Mockingbird, '' Mimus graysoni'' - formerly in ''Mimodes''

★ Bahama Mockingbird, '' Mimus gundlachii''

★ Chalk-browed Mockingbird, '' Mimus saturninus''

★ Patagonian Mockingbird, '' Mimus patagonicus''

★ Brown-backed Mockingbird, '' Mimus dorsalis''

★ White-banded Mockingbird, '' Mimus triuris''

★ Long-tailed Mockingbird, '' Mimus longicaudatus''

★ Chilean Mockingbird, '' Mimus thenca''

★ Large-billed Mockingbird or San Andrés Mockingbird, '' Mimus magnirostris''
Genus ''Nesomimus'' - Galápagos mockingbirds (4 species)

★ Galápagos Mockingbird, '' Nesomimus parvulus''

★ Floreana Mockingbird, '' Nesomimus trifasciatus'' (extremely rare)

★ Española Mockingbird, '' Nesomimus macdonaldi''

★ San Cristóbal Mockingbird, '' Nesomimus melanotis''
Genus ''Melanotis'' - blue mockingbirds

★ Blue Mockingbird, '' Melanotis caerulescens''

★ Blue-and-white Mockingbird, '' Melanotis hypoleucus''

References

★ 'Barber', Brian R.; Martínez-Gómez, Juan E. & Peterson, A. Townsend (2004): Systematic position of the Socorro mockingbird ''Mimodes graysoni''. ''J. Avian Biol.'' '35': 195-198. (HTML abstract)

★ 'Hunt', Jeffrey S.; Bermingham, Eldredge; & Ricklefs, Robert E. (2001): Molecular systematics and biogeography of Antillean thrashers, tremblers, and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae). ''Auk'' '118'(1): 35–55. DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0035:MSABOA]2.0.CO;2 HTML fulltext without images

External links

★ Article connecting Galapagos mockingbird species with mainland relatives

★ Mockingbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection

★ Mockingbirds, nest, egg and hatchlings photographs

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