The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturæ in 1758 as Turdus polyglottos.
The Northern Mockingbird breeds in southeastern Canada, the United States, northern Mexico, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and the Greater Antilles. It is replaced further south by its closest living relative, the Tropical Mockingbird. The Socorro Mockingbird, an endangered species, is also closely related, contrary to previous opinion.
This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe.
Read more about Northern Mockingbird: Description, Habitat and Distribution, Intelligence, In Culture
Famous quotes containing the word northern:
“The note of the white-throated sparrow, a very inspiriting but almost wiry sound, was first heard in the morning, and with this all the woods rang. This was the prevailing bird in the northern part of Maine. The forest generally was alive with them at this season, and they were proportionally numerous and musical about Bangor. They evidently breed in that State.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)