Blue mockingbird

Blue mockingbird
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Melanotis
Species:
M. caerulescens
Binomial name
Melanotis caerulescens
(Swainson, 1827)

The blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

The blue mockingbird is uniformly blue on its back, tail, wings, head and underbelly. This color is a result of feather structure rather than pigment, and therefore can look gray in the shade. It has a black "mask" surrounding its reddish-brown eyes. It has a rather long, slightly graduated tail, and dark blue streaks over its breast. Its bill is long, thin and slightly curved, and its legs and feet are black.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Melanotis caerulescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22711020A139353996. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22711020A139353996.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.