Bird name:

Blue Mockingbird

Melanotis caerulescens

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Code 4

BLMO

Code 6

MELCAE

ITIS

561052

Breeding Location:

Forests, dense old growth, Forests, dense at high elevations

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

In danger of habitat loss

Egg Color:

Blue with brown specks

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Twigs and roots, lined with finer material.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Blue Mockingbird: This large thrush is slate blue with pale blue streaks on the crown, black mask and red eye. Native of Mexico and casual in winter in southeast Arizona and accidental in New Mexico, California, and Texas. A very secretive bird, skulks in dense underbrush while searching for insects and fallen fruit. Sexes are similar and juveniles are duller with brown on the wings and a darker eye.

Range and Habitat

Blue Mockingbird: Native of Mexico and accidental to southeastern Arizona, prefers dense woodlands from montane forests at 10,000 feet to arid oak scrub at sea level.

Breeding and Nesting

Blue mockingbird: Not much is known about the breeding habits of the Blue Mockingbird. It is estimated that 2 blue eggs, sometimes with brown specks, are laid in a nest of twigs and roots, lined with grasses, built by both sexes and placed low in a bush or tree.

Foraging and Feeding

Blue Mockingbird: Eats mostly insects and fruits, which it gathers from the foliage or forest floor.

Vocalization

Blue Mockingbird: A rich and musical "wee-cheep", "wheep", or "chuk."

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America