Mockingbird - Definition and Overview

Mockingbirds
Northern Mockingbird
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae
Genera Melanotis Mimodes Mimus Nesomimus

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds best known for their habit of mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly in rapid succession.

Most species are tropical; the Northern Mockingbird is the species familiar throughout the United States and Canada. It is the state bird of several states in the USA.

There are 17 species in four genera.

Genus Melanotis

• Blue Mockingbird Melanotis caerulescens
• Blue-and-white Mockingbird Melanotis hypoleucus

Genus Mimodes

• Socorro Mockingbird Mimodes graysoni

Genus Mimus

• Brown-backed Mockingbird Mimus dorsalis
• Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus
• Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachii
• Long-tailed Mockingbird Mimus longicaudatus
• Large-billed Mockingbird Mimus magnirostris
• Patagonian Mockingbird Mimus patagonicus
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• Chalk-browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus
• Chilean Mockingbird Mimus thenca
• White-banded Mockingbird Mimus triuris

Genus Nesomimus (Galápagos Islands)

• Española Mockingbird Nesomimus mcdonaldi
• San Cristóbal Mockingbird Nesomimus melanotis
• Galápagos Mockingbird Nesomimus parvulus
• Floreana Mockingbird Nesomimus trifasciatus (extremely rare)

See also

• Mimid

External links

• Article connecting Galapagos mockingbird species with mainland relatives (http://oikos.villanova.edu/Nesomimus/mainland.html)
• An image (http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/photos/mimsat2197.jpg)

MOCKINGBIRD is also the name of a secret CIA project.