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Blue Mockingbird

Melanotis caerulescens

Range & Recent Observations

Blue Mockingbirdis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Blue Mockingbird

The blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest. The blue mockingbird is uniformly blue on its back, tail, wings, head and underbelly. This color is a result of feather structure rather than pigment, and therefore can look gray in the shade. It has a black "mask" surrounding its reddish-brown eyes. It has a rather long, slightly graduated tail, and dark blue streaks over its breast. Its bill is long, thin and slightly curved, and its legs and feet are black.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Melanotis caerulescens
Family
Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Order
Passeriformes

Similar species

Other members of the mockingbirds and thrashers family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachii
  • Bendire's Thrasher Toxostoma bendirei
  • Black Catbird Melanoptila glabrirostris
  • Blue-and-white Mockingbird Melanotis hypoleucus
  • Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
  • California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum
  • Cozumel Thrasher Toxostoma guttatum
  • Crissal Thrasher Toxostoma crissale
  • Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
  • Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
  • Gray Thrasher Toxostoma cinereum
  • LeConte's Thrasher Toxostoma lecontei

Know when the Blue Mockingbird turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Blue Mockingbird

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

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Cameras for Bird Photography

From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

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Optics

Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

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