Brown-backed mockingbird

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Brown-backed mockingbird
Mimus dorsalis 1847.jpg

Brown-backed mockingbird ( Mimus dorsalis )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Muscicapoidea
Family : Mockingbirds (Mimidae)
Genre : Mockingbirds ( Mimus )
Type : Brown-backed mockingbird
Scientific name
Mimus dorsalis
( d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye , 1837)

The brown-backed mockingbird ( Mimus dorsalis ) is a species of bird from the family of the mockingbirds (Mimidae). This species has a large distribution area, which is limited to the countries of Bolivia , Argentina and Chile . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .

features

The brown-backed mockingbird reaches a body length of about 24 centimeters. The color of the upper side ranges from greyish reddish brown to greyish maroon brown. The wings have two closely spaced white lines and a large white spot on the large coverts and the base of the wings. The umbrella feathers are framed in black and, like the arm wings, speckled in white. The rump is pale red-brown. The blackish tail has dark colored edges on the inner rudder feathers, while the four outer rudder feathers are white. There is a brownish-yellow to whitish stripe above the eye . The reins and cheeks are blackish. The plumage on the underside is whitish in color. In very old birds, the upper side changes to a dark gray-brown with indistinct dark lines. The white spots on the wings disappear with age. Juveniles are speckled with dark brown on the chest. A pronounced sexual dimorphism does not exist in this species.

distribution and habitat

You move in semi-arid regions with bushy slopes, landscapes shaped by cactus with isolated agaves and agriculturally used land with hedges at altitudes between 1700 and 4200 meters. The distribution area extends from the Bolivian departments of La Paz and Cochabamba to the province of Tucumán in northwest Argentina. Further observations were made near Putre in the Chilean Región de Arica y Parinacota .

behavior

Brown-backed Mockingbirds are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small family groups. They look for food on the ground with their tails up. During their courtship, they fly high, spreading their wings and tails. Otherwise the behavior is similar to other mockingbirds, especially the white banded mockingbirds . ( Mimus triurus ). Her singing varies, but mostly sounds like a hard Terett, Terett, Tett, Tett ...

Research history and etymology

The first description of the brown-backed mockingbird was made in 1837 by de Alcide d'Orbigny and Frédéric Lafresnaye under the scientific name Orpheus dorsalis . Only later was the bird placed in the genus Mimus . The word mimus (= imitate, imitate) comes from Latin. The specific epithet dorsalis is derived from the Latin word dorsum (= the back).

literature

  • Jon Fjeldså , Niels Krabbe : Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 1990, ISBN 87-88757-16-1 .
  • Robert S. Ridgely , Guy Tudor : Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America. The Passerines . University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas 2009, ISBN 978-0-292-71979-8 .
  • Robert S. Ridgely, Guy Tudor, William Liddle Brown: The Birds of South America Vol. I. The Oscine Passerines: Jays and Swallows, Wrens, Thrushes, and Allies, Vireos and Wood-Warblers, Tanagers, Icterids, and Finches . University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas 1989, ISBN 978-0-292-70756-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Robert S. Ridgely et al. a. (2009), p. 135.
  2. ↑ a b Jon Fjeldså u. a., p. 551.
  3. ↑ Robert S. Ridgely et al. a. (1989), p. 204.