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Northern Mockingbird.


Northern Mockingbird.
Photo Information
Copyright: Luis Leal (Luis52) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1111 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-07
Categories: Birds
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-02-11 17:54
Viewed: 1503
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Mimus polyglottos.
Better Known as Cenzontle, it means in Nahuatl(Aztecs dialect) "The bird of 400 voices"

Physical description :
Northern mockingbird is a medium-size songbird. It has a thin and dark eyeline and yellow to orange eyes. Bill is thin and black, with brown base. It has two white wingbars and large patches in wings, very easy to see when flying. Tail is long with white outer feathers, and black central tail feathers. Upperparts are pale grey, underparts are whitish. Legs are long and dusky. Both sexes look alike.
Juvenile resembles to adult, but is browner above and has large pale brown spots on underparts, from throat to upper belly and flanks.

Voice : Northern mockingbird's usual call is a loud 'tchak'. Song is highly varied, often melodious sting of phrases, many imitative of other birds that are typically repeated three or more times each. Often sings continuously for long periods. Its call is a harsh, dry 'chew'. Often sings at night. Both sexes sing in fall, claiming feeding territories.
Northern mockingbird is nicknamed 'American Nightingale', for its long and complex, but melodious song. It's able to mimic many other birds (more than 200) and dogs, cats, humans and mechanical sounds.

Habitat : Northern mockingbird lives in thickets, woodland edges, parks and gardens, favouring more open areas, open grounds and shrubby vegetation. It's also found in towns.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Northern mockingbird is resident from southern Canada, southward to southern Mexico and the Caribbean. It's introduced in Bermuda and Hawaii. It breeds from northern California, eastern Nebraska, Southern Ontario and Atlantic Canada southward to southern Mexico.

Behaviour : Northern mockingbird is highly territorial, and may attack any intruder. Very aggressive, it chases off other birds and mammals. It's often seen chasing large birds such as crows and hawks away from its nest.
It flicks wings up and down in territorial and courtship displays, flashing white wings patches.
Northern mockingbird is an aggressive feeder, chasing down a grasshopper on a lawn running, hopping and lunging at the prey, or flying just above the ground behind a large wasp.
It's monogamous for a season, and sometimes it mates for life. In the spring occurs courtship displays, with acrobatic flights, male chasing female, calling with soft 'hew'. They perch next to each other and take off again. Other displays include jumping from a perch, flapping wings to ascend perhaps one metre, and then parachuting with open wings back down to the perch again.
Nets is built low to the ground in shrubs and trees, and the accessibility of the nests make them vulnerable to molestation, and nesting birds may abandon the eggs if disturbed during incubation. But rarely abandon the nest once eggs have hatched.

Flight : Northern mockingbird flies with slow wingbeats. We can see its large white wing patches when it's flying.

Reproduction-nesting : Northern mockingbird uses several nests during the breeding season, laying 2 or 3 eggs in each nest. Each pair produces 2 or 3 broods per season, and the male cares for the fledglings while female incubates next clutch.
Nest is built low to the ground, in shrubs and trees, between 1 and 3 metres high, mostly by the male using dead twigs and lined with grasses and dead leaves and paper, foil, plastics and even shredded cigarettes filters. Nest is an open cup.
Female lays 2 to 3 smooth eggs. They are greenish-blue heavily marked with brown spots. Incubation lasts 12 to 13 days by female, while male forages for food and defends the territory. Both parents feed the hatchings. When they are 12 days old, chicks venture from the nest, and hop around on the ground or in low shrubs. They are fed by parents up to five times per hour. Parents will continue to care them for several days until they learn to forage for themselves.

Food habits : Northern mockingbird feeds on fruits, berries, spiders and insects (beetles, ants, bees, wasps, and grasshoppers), also earthworms and small lizards.

Saludos
Luis52.
mariki, angela926, timonejoon, JPlumb, uleko, eqshannon, boreocypriensis, jaycee, izler, nglen, Islander_, jwmunro, vanderschelden, Jamesp has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Luis,
WOW! Fantastic shot, great composition and point of view, superb sharpness and nice depth of field, lovely colors and good light,great pose and facial expression.well done!
Angela

Nice shot of this Mimos. POV and DOF are superb.
TFS
Best regards,
Kean

  • Great 
  • demeve Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 603 W: 11 N: 1627] (5989)
  • [2008-02-11 19:41]

Hello Luis,
Fantastic capture, Very beautiful and very well presented
the sharpness is absolut.. Well done

Everton

Hi Luis

very intresting details. every details is like match with other details. from the color of bird with stones and colorful BG. I like the pose of bird with fine details. perfect shot.
well done
TFS
babak

  • Great 
  • JPlumb Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 637 W: 166 N: 889] (2884)
  • [2008-02-11 21:41]

Hi Luis, this is a tack sharp shot of this Northern Mockingbird. Very excellent work on your part. The bird is well positioned in the shot, giving you an excellent pose, you have wonderful light on this guy resulting in excellent colour throughout. The background, you've very nicely muted through use of your aperture. Oh, and excellent eye. Very nicely done.

Thanks, John

Hello Luis,

Fantastic shot! Great pose of the bird. Very beautiful light. Great sharpness. Very beautiful natural colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2988 W: 162 N: 933] (2743)
  • [2008-02-12 3:16]

Hello Luis,
Great capture of the charming Mockingbird! I think it's the same one as we saw and heard on Tobago. I like its pose and the nice light. Great focus on the eye and excellent details and colours too.
TFS and regards, Ulla

It looks as if it were a stone piece atop another part of a monument, frozen in time. What an odd yet creative way to present this species...Very nicely done.
bob

Hello Luis,

Very nice sharp close-up of this beautiful bird. Beautiful detail. Good composition, light and colours.
Regards,

Bayram,

Magnifique, superbes détails magnifique profondeur de champ.
Bravo
Marie

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-02-12 8:30]

Hi Luis,

A superb shot of this lovely mockingbird. The pose is wonderful. Razor sharp details and excellent natural colors.

Jane

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 1399 W: 3 N: 30] (504)
  • [2008-02-12 13:23]

selam Luis
wonderful capture of this cute bird and good eye catch
composition, point of view, blurred background, lighting, colours, sharpness, details and note are great
thanks for sharing
regards
izler

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2906 W: 34 N: 8606] (32074)
  • [2008-02-12 13:28]

Hi Luis. Firstly i love the pose you have captured with his head stuck out . great light in the eye. and natural colours. the feathera are the same colour as the slate he is standing on. Good POV/DOF. well done TFS.
nick..

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2257 W: 10 N: 2625] (15547)
  • [2008-02-12 14:03]

Hola Luis,
precioso pajarillo y buen pov,
excelente compo. y magnífica nitidez,
saludos amigo.

Hola Luis,
Great composition once again with excellent exposure and focus in it!
perfect sharpness, real colour and details
a very pleasing presentation always
muchas gracias
Saludos
Tony

Hello Luis,

Great photo, nice POV and composition! May be a little bit oversharpen for my taste, but it's just my taste. Well done! Thank you,

Eugene

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2008-02-13 4:25]

Hello Luis, very sharp shot of the Mockingbird, great light and exposure, good pose and composition, thanks!

Mario

Ola Luis -

Very, very nice in deed. Excellent sharpness and detail in this portrait as well detail in the eye. Exposure, DOF, composition is spot on the money. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

Hola Luis,
sensassional focus on this portrait,
I love his pose and natural colours,
bravo
Pat

Another excellent image. Once again you captured the bird very well, Luis.
I missed a few images apparently.
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-02-16 18:19]

Hello Luis

A beautiful capture of this mockingbird.
The focus is sharp and the details are spot on.
Very good use of the natural lighting.
The colours are natural and the pose is wonderful.
Excellent eye contact and detail.
Nicely done.
TFS

Rob

Preciosa Luis, eres un gran artista con las aves. Pose, ojo ... una maravilla.

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2008-02-27 23:09]

Hi Luis

Wonderful pose and great detail here. Good isolation of the bird too.

James

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