mockingbird

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in two genera, although three species of mockingbird from the Galapagos Islands were formerly separated into a third genus, Nesomimus. The mockingbirds do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage, as Mimus and Melanotis are not each other's closest relatives; instead, Melanotis appears to be more closely related to the catbirds, while the closest living relatives of Mimus appear to be thrashers, such as the sage thrasher. The only mockingbird commonly found in North America is the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). The Greek word means 'multiple languages'. Mockingbirds are known for singing late at night, even past midnight. Species in taxonomic order Mimus: Brown-backed mockingbird, Mimus dorsalis Bahama mockingbird, Mimus gundlachii Long-tailed mockingbird, Mimus longicaudatus Patagonian mockingbird, Mimus patagonicus Chilean mockingbird, Mimus thenca White-banded mockingbird, Mimus triurus Northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos Socorro mockingbird, Mimus graysoni Tropical mockingbird, Mimus gilvus Chalk-browed mockingbird, Mimus saturninus Formerly Nesomimus (endemic to the Galapagos): Hood mockingbird, Mimus macdonaldi Galápagos mockingbird, Mimus parvulus Floreana mockingbird or Charles mockingbird, Mimus trifasciatus San Cristóbal mockingbird, Mimus melanotis Melanotis: Blue mockingbird, Melanotis caerulescens Blue-and-white mockingbird, Melanotis hypoleucus Charles Darwin