Northern Mockingbird-5152.jpg

Northern Mockingbird-5152.jpg, a photo by HVargas on Flickr.

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: Mimus and Nesomimus are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be some thrashers, such as the Sage Thrasher. Melanotis is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae.
El cenzontle o sinsonte (Mimus polyglottos) es un ave paseriforme nativa de América del Norte, América Central y parte de América del Sur. Los ejemplares adultos son grises por la parte superior del cuerpo, con ojos de un amarillo pálido y pico negro mínimamente curvo.
En otras antillas, tales como Puerto Rico, se conoce como ruiseñor. Construyen nidos de ramas en arbustos o árboles de gran follaje, que defienden agresivamente del ataque de otras aves o animales, incluyendo a los humanos. Cuando un depredador es muy persistente, los cenzontles de territorios cercanos se reúnen mediante una llamada distintiva, y juntos atacan al agresor.
English...
The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather.
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Genus: Mimus
Species: M. polyglottos
Binomial name: Mimus polyglottos
Nombre Comun: Ruiseñor
Capture: Sadle Brook
By: HVargas