ML160219781
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult, Unknown sex - X
- Sounds
- Song
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
One of those gracilis race individuals with plenty of white in the base of the primaries, creating a white wing flash in flight. As usual, did not succeed in getting an open-wing flight shot, but the effect is visible in photos of the perched bird also. The photos perhaps aren't good enough to be 100% sure, but the primary coverts appear to be missing? Wetmore (1943) considered the primary coverts to be the most reliable character for separating polyglottos from gilvus (white with dark tips in polyglottos, and black with white tips in gilvus). Maybe the missing primary covs accentuate this effect of the white wing flash created by the white bases of the primaries? This bird appears to show all regular characters of gracilis Tropical Mockingbird. One wonders if past records of Northern Mockingbird in Central America weren't simply extremes in the range of variation for gracilis?
Technical information
- Recorder
- iPhone SE
- Microphone
- Shure MV88
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 11.21 MB