Tropical Mockingbird

Sightings
Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus is a commonly seen bird on the island of Tobago. It is especially vocal and visible at the Blue Waters Inn where it is one of the first birds to sing in the early morning from the trees outside the hotel rooms. It can be found in deciduous trees and the numerous palm trees as well as foraging on the ground. This particular bird is possibly a juvenile based on the relatively dark eye but any thoughts about this would be well received.

Species
There are ten subspecies of Tropical Mockingbird of which M.g.tobagensis is only found on Trinidad and Tobago. This subspecies has darker grey upper parts and more extensive white on the wing coverts and tail than the mainland forms.

Status and Distribution
Tropical Mockingbird is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico south to northern Brazil, and in the Lesser Antilles and other Caribbean islands. The birds in Panama and Trinidad may have been introduced. The species is of Least Concern and is thought to be increasing in its range of some 14 million square kilometres.

References
IOC World Bird List; Wikipedia; BirdLife; Kenefick, M., Restall, R., and Hayes, F. (2015) Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 214.

Photograph
Taken in overcast grey conditions at 1/1000th second, f5.6 and ISO 1000