Subject: [Tweeters] Magnuson Mockingbird - likely not Northern,
Date: Jun 28 19:59:07 2014
From: Scott Ramos - lsr at ramoslink.info


Thanks to Kevin?s suggestion, I also looked through images of Long-tailed Mockingbird and find it a better match to the bird at Magnuson than a Northern Mockingbird. In particular, the whitish patches on the head of the Magnuson bird simply do not show in juvenile NOMO. I also went to Xeno-Canto to investigate recordings and found some that matched well the call note of the Magnuson bird, for example:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/120234

How would this bird get here, since it is native to Ecuador and Peru? Decades ago, it was common to have caged mockingbirds because of their song-making ability. Even Thomas Jefferson kept several mockingbirds as pets. But, this practice is no longer nearly as popular. Still, it would be interesting to know if anyone in the area has this hobby and is missing a pet.

Scott Ramos
Seattle



On Jun 28, 2014, at 6:54 PM, Brad Waggoner <wagtail24 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Kevin Aanerud brought it to my attention, that the photos of the Magnuson mockingbird look better for Long-tailed Mockingbird than for a Northern Mockingbird. And, I would have to agree with Kevin. The white and black marking about the head seem to support this along with the very long tail. I did not find photos of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds with such head features.
>
> I believe the chance of natural vagrancy for Long-tailed here is about nil, though I honestly have not researched that. But, it looks like a very awesome bird to check out regardless.
>
> Cheers and good birding,
> Brad Waggoner