Bahama Mockingbird

Mimus gundlachiiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Codes: Common Name: BAMO Scientific Name: MIMGUN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178623

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Overview

Bahama Mockingbird: Medium mockingbird with gray-brown upperparts and dark-streaked, pale gray underparts. Wings are dark with two white bars and white feather edges. Tail is long and white-tipped. Legs and feet are dark gray. Eats insects, spiders, small reptiles, berries and fruits.

Range and Habitat

Bahama Mockingbird: Breeds throughout the Bahama Islands south to the Turks Bank north of Hispaniola, on cays along the northern coast of Cuba, and in an isolated region of dry limestone forests along the southern Jamaican coast. In Florida, the Bahama Mockingbird is rare but regular along the southeast coast. Preferred habitats include dry scrub.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Voice Text

"cheewee, chipwee, chipwoo, cheewoo"

Interesting Facts

The Bahama Mockingbird was virtually unknown on the most northerly Bahamian islands in the late 1800’s, but is now well established on Abaco and on eastern Grand Bahama Island.

Statements in some older literature noting that the "more aggressive" Northern Mockingbird was driving it into oblivion have been found to be unsubstantiated. Development of the more populated Bahamian Islands has simply had the effect of substituting an obvious, exuberant species for one relatively shy around man.

A group of mockingbirds has many collective nouns, including an "echo", "exactness", "plagiary", and "ridicule" of mockingbirds.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Northern Mockingbird
Gray Catbird
Sage Thrasher
Brown Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher

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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.

Bahama Mockingbird

● Song: "cheewee, chipwee, chipwoo, cheewoo"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bahama Mockingbird: Eats various insects, spiders, berries, fruits, and occasionally small reptiles.

● Breeding & nesting: Bahama Mockingbird: Two to six creamy white to light pink eggs with brown marks are laid in a cup nest made of sticks, stems, dried leaves, fiber, paper, bits of fabric, and string, and lined with finer materials. Nest is built by both parents in a shrub or low tree. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Bahama Mockingbird: Northern Mockingbird is smaller, grayer overall with white wing patches, white outer tail feathers on black tail, and lacks streaks on neck, back, and flanks.

Flight Pattern

Rather swift direct flight with purposeful wing strokes.

Bahama Mockingbird Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Bahama Mockingbird: Breeds throughout the Bahama Islands south to the Turks Bank north of Hispaniola, on cays along the northern coast of Cuba, and in an isolated region of dry limestone forests along the southern Jamaican coast. In Florida, the Bahama Mockingbird is rare but regular along the southeast coast. Preferred habitats include dry scrub.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationRare in North America

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight2.4 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

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