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Mockingbirds, Thrashers

Long tails, strong legs and slender to curved bills characterize many mimids, although catbirds can look more compact than large thrashers. Grey, brown and black plumage is common, with wing patches, breast streaks and eye colour helping separate birds that otherwise share a plain outline. Examples include Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), Black Catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris), and Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). They take invertebrates and fruit, often searching shrubs or the ground; some species use the bill to turn litter while feeding. Listen as well as look, but do not assume that every member imitates other birds equally.

How to recognize Mockingbirds, Thrashers

  • Compare bill curvature and tail length with the bird's body.
  • Check wing patches, breast markings and eye colour.
  • Watch ground or shrub feeding and any litter-turning behaviour.
  • Combine voice with local range rather than identifying from mimicry alone.

Where they live

The family occurs in the Americas and nearby islands, with different mockingbirds, thrashers and catbirds occupying regional ranges. Scrub, woodland edges, gardens, dry country and island vegetation support different members. A Northern Mockingbird in an park and a Black Catbird in tropical cover use distinct settings, so local vegetation and geography are better than a single family habitat label. Compare tail length and bill curvature before using song; a rich or imitative voice alone is not enough to identify a species.

Species accounts: Grey Catbird · Black Catbird · Northern Mockingbird

Sources — natural history: Missouri Department of Conservation: Northern Mockingbird identification, food and habitat · Cornell Birds of the World: Black Catbird (Melanoptila glabrirostris), member species natural history.

Classification: IOC World Bird List: family names and classification.

Some Cornell Birds of the World account sections require a subscription.

Updated 2026-11-06. Species counts follow this site's catalogue. This is an editorial summary, not an expert peer review.

Explore similarities in appearance, feeding and habitat. These comparisons do not necessarily indicate the closest evolutionary relatives.

Species records retain their original English, Chinese and scientific names.

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Grey CatbirdGrey CatbirdDumetella carolinensisBlack CatbirdBlack CatbirdMelanoptila glabrirostrisNorthern MockingbirdNorthern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosTropical MockingbirdTropical MockingbirdMimus gilvusBahama MockingbirdBahama MockingbirdMimus gundlachiiChilean MockingbirdChilean MockingbirdMimus thencaLong-tailed MockingbirdLong-tailed MockingbirdMimus longicaudatusChalk-browed MockingbirdChalk-browed MockingbirdMimus saturninusPatagonian MockingbirdPatagonian MockingbirdMimus patagonicusWhite-banded MockingbirdWhite-banded MockingbirdMimus triurusBrown-backed MockingbirdBrown-backed MockingbirdMimus dorsalisGalapagos MockingbirdGalapagos MockingbirdMimus parvulusFloreana MockingbirdFloreana MockingbirdMimus trifasciatusEspanola MockingbirdEspanola MockingbirdMimus macdonaldiSan Cristobal MockingbirdSan Cristobal MockingbirdMimus melanotisSocorro MockingbirdSocorro MockingbirdMimus graysoniSage ThrasherSage ThrasherOreoscoptes montanusBrown ThrasherBrown ThrasherToxostoma rufumLong-billed ThrasherLong-billed ThrasherToxostoma longirostreCozumel ThrasherCozumel ThrasherToxostoma guttatumGrey ThrasherGrey ThrasherToxostoma cinereumBendire's ThrasherBendire's ThrasherToxostoma bendireiOcellated ThrasherOcellated ThrasherToxostoma ocellatumCurve-billed ThrasherCurve-billed ThrasherToxostoma curvirostreCalifornia ThrasherCalifornia ThrasherToxostoma redivivumCrissal ThrasherCrissal ThrasherToxostoma crissaleLeConte's ThrasherLeConte's ThrasherToxostoma leconteiMartinique ThrasherMartinique ThrasherRamphocinclus brachyurusSt. Lucia ThrasherSt. Lucia ThrasherRamphocinclus sanctaeluciaeBlue MockingbirdBlue MockingbirdMelanotis caerulescensBlue-and-white MockingbirdBlue-and-white MockingbirdMelanotis hypoleucusScaly-breasted ThrasherScaly-breasted ThrasherAllenia fuscaPearly-eyed ThrasherPearly-eyed ThrasherMargarops fuscatusBrown TremblerBrown TremblerCinclocerthia ruficaudaGrey TremblerGrey TremblerCinclocerthia gutturalis