Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

The Northern mockingbird is a passerine bird in the thrasher, mockingbirds and tremblers family (Mimids). It is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America and is the best in North America for imitating other birds.

Identification

Adults

Adult male and female Northern mockingbirds are similar in appearance. They are a medium-sized songbird, a bit more slender than a thrush and with a longer tail. They are overall gray-brown, paler on the breast and belly, with two white wingbars on each wing. A white patch in each wing is often visible on perched birds, and in flight these become large white flashes. The white outer tail feathers are also flashy in flight.

Gallery

Northern mockingbird

San Francisco, California (2010)

Related Page Hierarchy

Species

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates, sea squirts)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Passeriformes (perching birds)

Family: Mimidae (thrasher, mockingbirds, tremblers)

Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Galápagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus)

Sage thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus)