Galapagos birdlife - Mockingbirds

The mockingbirds are extremely tame and very curious birds – they will happily approach tourists on the beach to see whether there is any food or water. You should not feed the birds as this would make them become dependent on such service. There are four different species of mockingbird on the islands – three of these are specific to individual islands and one species may be found all over the islands.

Although tortoises and finches are the organisms that most commonly come to mind when thinking of Darwin, the Galapagos Islands, and evolution, it was the mockingbirds, or mocking-thrushes as Darwin called that first drew Darwin's attention to the strange diversity of species within the archipelago.

"...the different islands probably have their representative species or races of the Amblyrhynchus, as well as the tortoise. My attention was first thoroughly aroused by comparing together the numerous specimens, shot by myself and several other parties on board, of the mocking-thrushes, when, to my astonishment, I discovered that all those from Charles Island belonged to one species (Mimus trifasciatus); all from Albemarle Island to M. parvulus; and all from James and Chatham Islands...belonged to M. melanotis."

Charles Darwin, 1845

In the Galapagos Islands there are 4 diferent species of mockingbirds:

Galápagos mockingbird
(M. parvulus) is probably the root species, originating in the easternmost isle of San Cristóbal and dispersing to the west. This aggressive bird is found on all major islands except those where competitive mockingbirds have evolved. They are omnivorous, and their habit of running after small lava lizards and insets has begged comparison with road-runners.

San Cristóbal mockingbird
(M. melanotis) is the population left behind on the root island, and is characterized by a very distinctive black eyepatch around its yellow eye.

Española mockingbird
(M. macdonaldi), also known as Hood mockingbird, found only on Española and nearby islands. The Hood mockingbird is extremely aggressive. It is not uncommon for them to land on a visitor's head and they will explore any unknown object, always looking for food or drink. Many tourists to Española (or Hood Island) are struck by the forwardness and seeming intelligence of these birds.

Floreana mockingbird
(M. trifasciatus), again named after its main habitation. The former has the longest bill of the four, and is notably tamer and more curious than other species. The somewhat duller Floreana has the interesting habit of nesting in prickly pear, the only mockingbird to do so. Sadly, this bird is now extinct on Floreana island itself, probably due to the usual suspects. Cats, rats, dogs and goats, along with pigs and other barnyard animals, pirated their eggs and devoured their habitat. It is still seen on nearby Champion Island, where the heavy foot of civilization has yet to tread.

Interestingly, of the major islands of the central archipelago, only Pinzón lacks a mockingbird, despite its location between Santa Cruz and Isabela. Perhaps the limited biota on Pinzón is an explanation. Also, mockingbirds are not distance flyers to begin with, and their behavioral as well as physical evolution on separate islands has re-reinforced their isolation. While they became extinct on Baltra during the American occupation of the second World War, they have not yet repopulated despite the half-mile distance separating that island from Santa Cruz.