galapagos mockingbird facts

In total, 49 species of land birds have been recorded in the Galapagos, 22 of which are endemic to the Islands. Land birds can be divided into 5 categories: Diurnal Raptors, Night Birds, Larger Land Birds, Aerial Feeders and Smaller Land Birds.

Category: Land Birds

Category: Mimidae
Endemic Subspecies: Galapagos Mockingbird, Charles Mockingbird, Hood Mockingbird, Chatham Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are medium-sized land birds with long tails, longish legs and long, narrow, decurved bills. The plumage of the species in Galapagos is rather drab, with brownish upperparts and pale underparts.

Locally common resident, breeding from October to April and nesting in trees or cacti. Range does nor overlap with any other species of mockingbird. Six subspecies are recognized: barringtoni (Santa Fe Island); bauri (Genovesa Island); hulli (Darwin Island); parvulus (Fernandina Island, Isabela Island, Santa Cruz Island, North Seymour Island and Daphne Island); personatus (Pinta Island, Marchena Island, Santiago Island and Rabida Island) and wenmani (Wolf Island).

Identification:
A medium-sized, streaked land bird with long tail, short wings and narrow, moderately long, decurved bill. Upperparts dark grey-brown; wings dark brown with feathers edged and tipped white. Tail dark with white tip. Under parts white, extending up side of neck to form a broad collar; some streaking on flanks and side of breast. Does nor generally show a distinct malar stripe. White supercilium contrasts with crown and dark ear-coverts. Iris colour varies from reddish-brown to yellowish-green.

Voice:
Loud and melodious but variable.