Bird Guide

Chalk-browed Mockingbird vs Tropical Mockingbird

Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus)

Chalk-browed Mockingbird

Mimus saturninus

Medium64 gShrubland

The chalk-browed mockingbird is 23.5 to 26 cm (9.3 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 55 to 73 g (1.9 to 2.6 oz). Males are slightly larger than females. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown crown, a broad white supercilium, a blackish line through the eye, and white cheeks. Their upperparts are brownish with some darker streaks; the rump is buffier. Their wings are blackish and show two obscure bars when folded. The tail is also blackish; most feathers have white tips and the outermost have white edges. Voice: The chalk-browed mockingbird's song is loud, a "varied series of notes, trills, phrases". Its calls include a "sharp and penetrating 'tshrip'" and a "snorting sha-sha-sha". It often mimics other species including some raptors.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Pedro Sanetti · CC0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)

Tropical Mockingbird

Mimus gilvus

Small52 gShrubland

Adult tropical mockingbirds are 23 to 25.5 cm (9.1 to 10.0 in) long. The mean weights of various subspecies vary greatly. Adults of the nominate subspecies are gray on the head and upper parts and have a whitish supercilium and a dark stripe through the eye. The underparts are off-white and the wings are blackish with two white wing bars and white edges to the flight feathers. They have a long dark tail with white feather tips, a slim black bill with a slight downward curve and long dark legs. Juveniles are browner and their chest and flanks have dusky streaks. Voice: The tropical mockingbird's song is "a varied and long-continued sequence of diverse mellow to harsh notes, trills, with considerable repetition of phrases". It will often sing through the night. It apparently rarely mimics other species. Its calls include "a resonant 'pree-ew'" and "a harsh 'chick' or 'chek'".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · CC BY 4.0
Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chalk-browed Mockingbird and Tropical Mockingbird.