Northern Mockingbird

The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight. It is a fabulous mimicker of bird calls and other types of sound, one of the things that resonates with me from many years ago when I first became acquainted with it. Its genus name is "Mimus," Latin for mimic. A male's repertoire can contain more than 150 distinct song types which can change and may increase in number with age. It  is the state bird of five states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Florida and in the title of one of my favorite books: "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

There are three subspecies of northern mockingbird: (1) polyglottos, found in eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Nebraska and as far south as Texas and Florida; (2) leucopterus, found in the western portion of North America from northwestern Nebraska and western Texas to the Pacific coast and south to Mexico (the Isthmus of Tehuantepec) and Socorro Island; and (3) orpheus, found from the Bahamas to the Greater Antilles and the Cayman and Virgin Islands. Ssp. leucopterus is larger than polyglottos, has a slightly shorter tail, has upperparts that are more buff and paler, and the underparts have a stronger buff pigment. Ssp. orpheus is similar to polyglottos, but is smaller, has a paler shade of gray on the back and very little buff on the underparts, if any at all.  

Ssp. orpheus seen at Hope Botanical Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica on February 17, 2023.

Ssp. orpheus seen at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on February 17, 2023. 

Ssp. polyglottos seen in Okefenokee NWR in Georgia on January 13, 2018.  

Ssp. leucopterus seen along the Concho River in San Angelo, Texas. Note that it has the stronger buff pigment on its underparts. 

Ssp. leucopterus seen at the Salton Sea NWR hdqtrs in California on July 5, 2025. Also the following three photos. 

Illustration of ssp. polyglottos from Birds of the World.

Illustration of ssp. orpheus from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. Orange is summer, dark blue is resident and light blue is winter visitor.