The other day I was over at my parents’ house in Coney Island, where I grew up, and I saw the most gorgeous bird hanging around in the branches, on the fences, and on the telephone lines of our block. It didn’t seem to appreciate my desire to get a close look, and I followed with slow calm as it flitted from perch to perch, crossing the street several times.
Its most striking feature was that it had white bands on its wings and tail that seemed to run lengthwise rather than widthwise, making it appear elegant and streamlined. Thanks to Google and WhatBird.com, I was able to identify it beyond a doubt as a northern mockingbird.
photo by flyingtyrtle: http://flyingturtle.blogspot.com
These birds eat fruit and insects. WhatBird.com provides this map of their range.
CLASSIFICATION
CLASS: Aves (Birds)
ORDER: Passeriformes (More than half of all birds are passerines, or perching birds.*)
FAMILY: Mimidae (Mockingbirds and thrashers)
GENUS: Mimus (Mockingbirds)
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mimus polyglottos
STATE BIRD
The northern mockingbird is not the state bird of New York, of course. But it is the state bird of five U.S. states: Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Florida, and Mississippi.
SOURCES AND ADDITIONAL LEARNING
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passerine
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/158/_/Northern_Mockingbird.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_bird
(If you are flyingtyrtle and object to my using your photo, please let me know and I will remove it.)
