Mockingbirds and thrashers | Mimidae

Spotlijsters | Sinsontes

A long tail, often held cocked while the bird feeds, and a slender bill that is strongly decurved in part of the family are the marks to look for; the bill sweeps sideways through leaf litter and loose soil, throwing it aside until insects, larvae and seeds are exposed. Much of the song consists of imitated snatches of other birds, of frogs and of sounds from the surroundings, delivered in a rhythm that is fixed for each species: one repeats every phrase about three times before moving on, another exactly twice, a third strings the snatches together without repeating at all, so that the singer can be placed by ear. Unpaired males sing from an exposed perch, at night as well, and the repertoire keeps growing throughout life. The nest is a coarse twig cup low in a dense shrub or thorn thicket, and a breeding pair will attack cats, snakes and people that come too close without hesitating. Insects dominate the diet in summer, berries in winter.