Blue-and-white mockingbird

The blue-and-white mockingbird is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

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Distribution

Region

Mesoamerica

Typical Environment

Occurs in the highlands of southern Mexico (especially Chiapas) through Guatemala and into El Salvador and Honduras. Prefers humid montane and cloud forests, pine–oak forests with dense understory, and second-growth tangles. Often uses forest edges, ravines, and shaded agroforestry such as coffee plantations. Typically keeps to lower strata, moving through viney thickets and dense shrubs. It tolerates some habitat disturbance if cover remains.

Altitude Range

1000–3000 m

Climate Zone

Highland

Characteristics

Size23–26 cm

Wing Span34–38 cm

Male Weight0.07 kg

Female Weight0.065 kg

Life Expectancy8 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A shy, understory-dwelling mockingbird of humid highland forests, it is more often heard than seen. Like many mimids, it delivers a rich, varied song that may include mimicry of other birds. It favors dense thickets and forest edges, including shaded coffee plantations, where it forages low to the ground.

Gallery

photograph from Mexico

Behaviour

Temperament

skulking but vocal

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats, low and direct between cover

Social Behavior

Usually seen singly or in pairs and maintains territories in dense vegetation. Cup nests are placed low in shrubs or tangles; both parents attend the young. Pair bonds may persist through the breeding season, and adults stay close to cover while foraging.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A rich, melodious series of whistles, trills, and liquid phrases delivered from concealed perches. Phrases are varied and may incorporate mimicry of other species, with pauses between stanzas.

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Identification

Leg Colorblackish-grey

Eye Colorred

Plumage

Deep blue upperparts contrasting sharply with clean white underparts; feathers smooth and sleek with a long, graduated tail.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Takes a mix of insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, caterpillars, and spiders, supplemented by berries and small fruits. Will glean from foliage and branches, probe leaf litter, and occasionally hawk short distances for flying insects. Seasonal fruit availability can increase frugivory during certain months.

Preferred Environment

Feeds low in dense understory, along forest edges, and in overgrown clearings. Common in thickets near streams and in shaded coffee plantations where leaf litter and berry-bearing shrubs are abundant.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

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