Bird Guide

Chilean Mockingbird vs Northern Mockingbird

Chilean Mockingbird (Mimus thenca)

Chilean Mockingbird

Mimus thenca

Medium66 gShrubland

The Chilean mockingbird is 28 to 29 cm (11.0 to 11.4 in) long and weighs 66 g (2.3 oz). The male is somewhat larger than the female. Adults have a wide whitish supercilium. Their crown, neck, and back are brownish gray with darker streaks and their rump browner. The wings and tail are blackish. The wings show two narrow bars when folded. The outermost tail feathers have white edges and most of the others have white tips. The throat is whitish, the chest brownish gray, the belly dirty white, and the flanks buffy with blackish streaks. Voice: The Chilean mockingbird sings year round, "a series of sweet, variable notes and phrases". It is an "excellent mimic of other bird species".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: nebrooks · CC BY 4.0
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Small49 gShrubland

The northern mockingbird is a medium-sized mimid that has long legs and tail. Males and females look alike. Its upper parts are colored gray, while its underparts have a white or whitish-gray color. It has parallel wing bars on the half of the wings connected near the white patch giving it a distinctive appearance in flight. The black central rectrices and typical white lateral rectrices are also noticeable in flight. The iris is usually a light green-yellow or a yellow, but there have been instances of an orange color. The bill is black with a brownish black appearance at the base. Voice: Although many species of bird imitate the vocalizations of other birds, the northern mockingbird is the species best known in North America for doing so.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Northern Mockingbird
Recorded by Anonymous · Song · Military Academy (near West Point), Orange County, New York, United States · CC0
Photo: Anne Parsons · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chilean Mockingbird and Northern Mockingbird.