The Bahama Mockingbird is a relative of North America's much more common Northern Mockingbird. They are found on islands in the Bahamas, and in other scattered locations in the western Caribbean. In the United States, they are vagrants to Florida. The first sighting was in the Dry Tortugas islands off the Florida Keys in 1973, but a number of sightings have occurred since then. While somewhat similar to the Northern Mockingbird in overall structure, the Bahama Mockingbird can easily be distinguished from it's more common North American relative by the streaking on its flanks, the larger size, the dark throat stripe, and less "clean" appearance on the face and head.
Habitat
Found in shrubby areas with scattered trees.
Diet
Feeds on insects, fruits, and berries.
Behavior
Prefers areas of thick shrubs, and is more secretive and less visible than it's sometimes bold relative, the Northern Mockingbird.
Nesting
Nesting behavior is poorly understood, but it is believed the female lays 2 or 3 eggs, and that nesting pairs raise more than one brood per season.
Interactive eBird Map
Click to access an interactive eBird map of Bahama Mockingbird sightings
Song
The song of a Bahama Mockingbird is a series of repeated, mostly two-syllable phrases.
Migration
Considered a permanent resident throughout its range, although some birds obviously wander, given the sightings in Florida.
Feeders
May attend feeders for fruit
Similar Species
Similar in structure to the Northern Mockingbird, but differences are obvious if seen well.
Status
Populations are not very large and they aren't found over a very wide geographic region, but there are no serious conservation concerns at this time. The Bahama Mockingbird is considered a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN.
Further Information
Photo Information
Photo taken by Laura Gooch - Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
