White-banded mockingbird
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}
{{speciesbox
| name = White-banded mockingbird
| image = Mimus triurus, Las Colonias, Santa Fe, Argentina 1.jpg
| image_caption = In Las Colonias, Santa Fe, Argentina
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Mimus
| species = triurus
| authority = (Vieillot, 1818)
| synonyms =
| range_map = Mimus triurus map.svg
}}
The white-banded mockingbird (Mimus triurus) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.2) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=July 2021 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 21 June 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved June 24, 2021
Taxonomy and systematics
The white-banded mockingbird and the brown-backed mockingbird (Mimus dorsalis) are sister species. Both are monotypic.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021
Description
The white-banded mockingbird is {{convert|20|to|23.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weighs {{convert|49|to|54|g|oz|abbr=on}}. The male is slightly larger than the female. Adults have a grayish crown, a white supercilium, a blackish line through the eye, and speckled cheeks. Their upperparts are smoky gray blending to reddish cinnamon on the rump. The central third of the tail is black and the outer feathers white. The folded wing shows a broad white band; the rest of the wing is blackish. The white on the wings and tail are conspicuous in flight. The adults are mostly whitish below; the sides and flanks have a cinnamon wash and the vent area is buffy. The juvenile is similar but with a spotted breast and less white in the wing.Cody, M. L. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). White-banded Mockingbird (Mimus triurus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whbmoc1.01 retrieved July 22, 2021
Distribution and habitat
The white-banded mockingbird breeds primarily in central Argentina. In the non-breeding season it apparently withdraws from the southernmost part of its range and is also found in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is suspected to regularly breed in all of these countries except Brazil and Chile. Vagrants have been recorded in Peru and the Falkland Islands.
The white-banded mockingbird inhabits a variety of landscapes including low woodlands, savanna, open brushy country, steppe, and around human habitations. It is mostly found below {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on}} of elevation but breeds as high as {{convert|2600|m|ft|abbr=on}} in northern Argentina and as a non-breeder reaches higher in Bolivia and Chile.
Behavior
=Feeding=
=Breeding=
The white-banded mockingbird's nest is an open bowl made of twigs lined with softer material. It is placed low in vegetation, often a thorny bush. It lays its clutch of four eggs (occasionally three) in November and December. Nests are frequently parasitized by the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis).
=Vocalization=
Status
The IUCN has assessed the white-banded mockingbird as being of Least Concern. It is fairly common to common in most of its range, though the widely scattered breeding records north of Argentina may indicate a more precarious situation there.
Gallery
File:Mimus triurus, Buenos Aires, Argentina 11.jpg|In Buenos Aires, Argentina
File:Mimus triurus, Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil 1.jpg|In Cruz Alta, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:Birds of South America
Category:Birds described in 1818