Tropical Mockingbird

Mimus gilvus

eBird provides this basic description of the Tropical Mockingbird:  Tropical counterpart to Northern Mockingbird of North America. Common and often conspicuous in open and semi-open lowland tropical areas, perching on roadside wires and bare snags. Silvery gray above and whitish below with a long rounded tail that is black with a bold white tip. Lacks the big white wing patches of Northern Mockingbird, and the ranges of the two species do not really overlap. Varied calls and loud mimic song is much like Northern Mockingbird.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Tropical Mockingbird with this descriptive information:  The Tropical Mockingbird is the neotropical counterpart to the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottus), replacing Northern Mockingbird south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The two species are similar in appearance, but Tropical Mockingbird has less white in the wings, lacking the white primary coverts and white bases to the primaries of Northern Mockingbird. The distribution of this species is discontinuous. The original range was southern Mexico south to Honduras, and again in northern South America, but with a gap from central Honduras south to Colombia. In the 1930s, however, an introduced population was discovered in central Panama. Tropical Mockingbird occupies open habitats with scattered shrubs and trees, and readily colonizes towns and gardens. It often perches in exposed sites, such as along telephone or electric lines or in the tops of shrubs. This species is primarily insectivorous, but also consumes small vertebrates and small fruit. The song of the Tropical Mockingbird is a long musical series of phrases, many of which are repeated several times. Unlike the Northern Mockingbird, however, the Tropical Mockingbird is not reported to mimic other species.

I met my first Tropical Mockingbird very early on the morning of February 9, 2023 at Hotel Savegre.  I was walking down to the lobby area of the hotel when I spotted this bird briefly hanging around outside of the building that houses the lobby.  Later that same day I got a much better look at this bird in San Isidro.  I also got much better photos in the early afternoon light.  The photos below are both from my afternoon sighting of the fiesty Tropical Mockingbird.