Dear Tweetsters -- I took photos of some mockingbirds in the garden of
an inn in Otavalo, Ecuador in late January. I can't figure out which
species of mockingbird it is and wanted to ask if anybody on Tweeters
can help me figure this out.

The mockingbirds likely to be present in this area are Long-tailed and
Tropical. (Are there others too?) The Tropical has been found within the
past several years to be breeding in this part of Ecuador. It apparently
has spread there from Colombia.
www.cisneros-heredia.org/pdfs/MgilvusCotinga21.pdf

Based on the pictures I took (see link below), Long-tailed appears to be
out. That leaves Tropical. The pictures I took match Tropical in many
respects, but do not match in some seemingly key aspects: first and
foremost, the seeming lack of a white supercilium. Also in most pictures
the eye looks dark rather than yellow.

The pictures can be seen at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/106724165563614020677/OtavaloMockingbird

Opinions sought!

Thanks,

Jane Hadley
Seattle, WA