List of Arizona-SW Birds (Yuma County, Arizona) - Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae
The Mimids are a family of passerine birds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. These birds are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. The species tend towards dull grays, blacks, and browns in their appearance. There are 35 species world wide, and 13 North American species, and ?4 permanent SW-Arizona resident species.

The Northern Mockingbird has been extending its range, low desert, mountain foothills, North, and East of Yuma, as the cities to the East of Yuma have been developing, (?)since 1995. They sing in the same distinctive manner, and have the same arboreal displays, but their plumage is more pronounced, with darker Blacks, and darker Grays (? to contrast with Brite White). The arboreal display is energetic(? and territorial), and consists of vertical climbs and falls, above a (choice, selected)tree perch. (In the last 2 years, some of 2004, 2005, the huge influx N into the foothills, and desert grasslands, are much greyer birds, much like the city birds.)

• Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis, --(Only local in Northern White Mtns and north-east-ward.)
• ( * SW) Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, --Permanent (now in desert locales)
• (SW) Sage Thrasher, Oreoscoptes montanus, –Winter Range/Resident–
• Bendire's Thrasher, Toxostoma bendirei, -- (–Summer Ranging–N. of Yuma County, etc. in Az.)
• Curve-billed Thrasher, Toxostoma curvirostre, --Permanent E. and NE of Yuma County
• California Thrasher, Toxostoma redivivum, --a vagrant from Southern Calif.(?)
• ( * SW) Crissal Thrasher, Toxostoma crissale, ---(Permanent from Colo R./Calif. border, the deserts, and S into Mex (W. and Central), from S. New Mexico(USA) Southward. Permanent like the Quail, no seasonal–Ranging.)
• (SW) Le Conte's Thrasher, Toxostoma lecontei, ---Permanent, and local, in hot, lower, deserts: (very S. Colorado Des.(S. Calif.), Pacific locales in Baja Calif Sur, and SW Ariz (and very N. Mexico); no seasonal–Ranging.)(3rd locale: the Carrizo Plain and valley, N of Los Angeles, in the Coastal Ranges)