We can ID this bird as a Bahama Mockingbird (rather then the similar Northern Mockingbird, whose range also includes the Bahamas) as follows:
- Whitish/light grey underparts with dark streaks, including the flanks. The adult Northern Mockingbird does not have such streaks. The juvenile Northern Mockingbird has streaks on the chest, but not on the flanks
- The bill is curved slightly downward. You can see this in the second photo. The Northern Mockingbird has a much straighter bill
- Pale throat bordered by dark malar (cheekbone) stripes. This can be seen in the second and fourth photos. The Northern Mockingbird has no such malar stripes
- Brownish-black upperparts with two white wingbars and white feather edges. The Northern Mockingbird has much lighter gray upperparts
- Long tail tipped with white.
The Bahama Mockingbird is found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands and is a vagrant to the United States, particularly to southern Florida
The Bahama Mockingbird is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 842.
No comments:
Post a Comment