Blue Mockingbird
Encyclopedia
The Blue Mockingbird is a species of bird
in the Mimidae family. It is endemic to Mexico
, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States
. Its natural habitat
s are subtropical or tropical dry forest
s, subtropical or tropical moist montane
s, and heavily degraded former forest.
The Blue Mockingbird is uniformly blue on its back, tail, wings, head and underbelly. This color is a result of feather structure rather than pigment, and therefore can look gray in the shade. It has a black "mask" surrounding its reddish-brown eyes. It has a rather long, slightly graduated tail, and dark blue streaks over its breast. Its bill is long, thin and slightly curved, and its legs and feet are black.
genus Orpheus, and when Orpheus became a junior synonym for the genus Mimus
, the species was moved accordingly. Not all authorities agreed; several placed it in the thrush
genus Turdus. However, when Charles Lucien Bonaparte
moved it to its current genus Melanotis in 1850, most authorities quickly followed suit. There is disagreement as to whether it is monotypic
or not.
Among taxonomists who believe the species is polytypic
, two subspecies are generally recognized.
The Blue Mockingbird has historically been considered conspecific with the closely related Blue-and-white Mockingbird
. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
roots melano-/μελανο- meaning "black" and ot-/ὠτ- meaning "ear", while its species name is derived from the Latin
adjective caerǔlěus, meaning "blue".
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Mimidae family. It is endemic to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are subtropical or tropical dry forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, subtropical or tropical moist montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
s, and heavily degraded former forest.
The Blue Mockingbird is uniformly blue on its back, tail, wings, head and underbelly. This color is a result of feather structure rather than pigment, and therefore can look gray in the shade. It has a black "mask" surrounding its reddish-brown eyes. It has a rather long, slightly graduated tail, and dark blue streaks over its breast. Its bill is long, thin and slightly curved, and its legs and feet are black.
Taxonomy
When he first described the Blue Mockingbird in 1827, William John Swainson assigned it to the mockingbirdMockingbird
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 and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera...
genus Orpheus, and when Orpheus became a junior synonym for the genus Mimus
Mimus
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 following species are placed here:...
, the species was moved accordingly. Not all authorities agreed; several placed it in the thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
genus Turdus. However, when Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
moved it to its current genus Melanotis in 1850, most authorities quickly followed suit. There is disagreement as to whether it is monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
or not.
Among taxonomists who believe the species is polytypic
Polytypic
In zoology, polytypic refers to a taxonomic unit with more than one subgroup at the next lower level.-See also:*Linnaean taxonomy*monotypic*monotypic habitat...
, two subspecies are generally recognized.
- M. c. caerulescens, the nominate subspecies, is found in the pine-oak zone of western Mexico, from southern Sonora south to the Isthmus of TehuantepecIsthmus of TehuantepecThe Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
. - M. c. longirostris is found only on the Tres Marías Islands, off the coast of western Mexico.
The Blue Mockingbird has historically been considered conspecific with the closely related Blue-and-white Mockingbird
Blue-and-white Mockingbird
The Blue-and-white Mockingbird is a species of bird in the Mimidae family. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and south-eastern Mexico. Its natural habitats are dry scrubland, woodland, second growth and forest edges at 1000–3000 m above sea-level.It is about 25 cm long...
. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
roots melano-/μελανο- meaning "black" and ot-/ὠτ- meaning "ear", while its species name is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective caerǔlěus, meaning "blue".
Habitat and range
The Blue Mockingbird lives in a variety of woodlands: humid forest, riparian thickets, scrub, pine-oak forests and second growth. They are found at elevations ranging from lowlands to 2450 m (8,038.1 ft).External links
- Blue Mockingbird near Douglas, Arizona
- Blue Mockingbird at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, California
- Blue Mockingbird Images Arizona / El Dorado Park in Long Beach, California
- The Nature Writers of Texas- Welcome to the House of the Blue Mockingbird; Wednesday, December 17, 2003; Ron Smith, Valley Morning Star, December 17, 2003, © 2004 http://texasnature.blogspot.com/2003/12/welcome-to-house-of-blue-mockingbird.html