Northern mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Identification Tips:
- Slender bill
- Gray head and upperparts
- Yellow eye
- White underparts
- Long black tail with white outer tail feathers
- White wing bars
- White patch in wing, especially visible in flight
- Black legs
- Sexes similar
- Juvenile has spotted breast
- Most often found in scrubby habitats and in urban areas
Similar species:
Shrikes are similar but have black masks and thicker bills. Sage Thrasher
is similar to juvenile mockingbird but lacks white wing patches and has
darker, more extensive spotting below. Rare Bahama Mockingbird (stray to
Florida) has streaked flanks and lacks wing patches.