The 'Mimic Thrushes'

- A beautiful day in Tennessee....near 70 with mixed clouds. Could be that you are waking up to the sounds of one of these featured avia. If this is true, odds are it is the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), the state bird of Tennessee. If the other two species included in this unofficial group (they are not true thrushes) are heard, chances are you may not have identified the source as yet.

- Along with the Northern Mockingbird, the other two members of this group are the Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and the Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). The latter two occupy similar habitats...as both are denizens of dense undergrowth and are more often heard than seen. All are known for their unusual vocals, long tails, and curved bills.
- By far the most vocal of the group, the king of nature's mimics, is the feisty Mockingbird (middle two photographs). One of these feathered tunesmiths has graced our office in springtime/early summer for as long as I have been in Dunlap. It, or perhaps one of it's progeny, often perch on top of the office roofline and proceeds to sing for hours. Periodically, the bird may fly to a nearby tree, or it's nest, only to return shortly...and the performance continues. The male of this species even sings at night, often perched atop a utility pole or on a dead limb, especially one located near the top of the tree. Like most songbirds, this species is most active and vocal during the breeding season. The Mockingbird is basically gray, with white wing bars, roughly the size of a Robin, but slimmer. The white wing and tail patches are prominent during flight. They will mimic most anything....from other birds to sirens to the neighborhood cat and dog. They are well named...one of the great entertainers of the bird world.

- The Gray Catbird (next to top photo) prefers a more secluded life. They often utter a mellow, distinctive cry similar to the 'meow' of a cat...thus the name. Note the black cap on the slate gray head. It often flips it's tail, much like the Mockingbird...but there are no white wing patches.
- The Brown Thrasher (bottom two photographs...and the top photo), like the Catbird, prefers the dense tangles of fencerows and understory. This bird is rufus colored above and heavily striped below...and note the yellow eye, which is distinctive. It is a bit larger than the other two members, sometimes reaching 11-12". On occasion, especially during the breeding season, the male becomes a bit more ostentatious, as in the bottom two photos. This one was in the top of a tree adjacent to Lake George within our properties. If the bottom photo is enlarged (click) it reveals that this one was in full throat....and hearing the song was what made me take notice in the first place. The song is somewhere between the other two species....a series of rolling, deliberate, paired phrases. In summer, this bird is rarely seen...but still heard. I sometimes hear their voice in the undergrowth while hiking/walking, especially late in the afternoon. Knowing the source of a song is not always easy in the bird world...and the Brown Thrasher falls into this category.

- The Mockingbird and Thrasher may stay in our area year round. If they migrate, they usually only go as far south as the Gulf Coast area, and return in early spring. The Catbird is more likely to leave our area for the winter, and migrates to the Gulf Coast, Florida, and Latin America.