Blue mockingbird
| Blue mockingbird | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Mimidae |
| Genus: | Melanotis |
| Species: | M. caerulescens
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| Binomial name | |
| Melanotis caerulescens (Swainson, 1827)
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The blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) is a species of
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,
Among taxonomists who believe the species is
- M. c. caerulescens, the nominate subspecies, is found in the pine-oak zone of western Mexico, from southern Sonora south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
- M. c. longirostris is found only on the Tres Marías Islands, off the coast of western Mexico.[4]
The blue mockingbird has historically been considered
Description
Measuring 9.5–10.5 in (24–27 cm) in length,[7] and weighing between 50.2 and 59.7 g (1.77 and 2.11 oz),[8] the blue mockingbird is a medium-sized mimid. Individuals of the subspecies caerulescens have a mean body mass slightly higher than that for individuals of the subspecies longirostris — 63.5 g (2.24 oz) for the former and 59.7 g (2.11 oz) for the latter.[8]
Habitat and range
The blue mockingbird lives in a variety of woodlands: humid forest, riparian thickets, scrub, pine-oak forests and second growth. It is found at elevations ranging from lowlands to 2,450 m (8,040 ft).[7]
Behavior
Breeding
The blue mockingbird builds a cup nest of twigs and rootlets.[7]
Food and feeding
The blue mockingbird is an omnivore; it feeds primarily on invertebrates, but also on some vegetable matter.[9]
Conservation and threats
Because of its very large range and sizable population (estimated to number 500,000–4,999,999 individuals), the blue mockingbird is rated as a species of
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ United States National Museum (1907). Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Volume 50, part 4. Washington, D.C.: Government Publishing Office. pp. 209–212.
- ISBN 0-300-07083-7.
- ^ ISBN 1-873403-93-3.
- ISBN 0-300-04969-2.
- ISBN 0-304-52257-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-854012-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4200-6444-5.
- ISBN 978-1-8734-0395-2.
- ISBN 978-0-691-12322-6.