mockingbird

See also: mocking bird

English

Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Etymology

From mocking +‎ bird, from the ability of the birds to mimic sounds and, in some cases, hum as a wake up call.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒkɪŋbɜːd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑkɪŋˌbɝd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mock‧ing‧bird

Noun

mockingbird (plural mockingbirds)

1. A long-tailed American songbird of the Mimidae family, noted for its ability to mimic calls of other birds.

   Synonym: mocker

2. (archaic) Synonym of tui (“a species of honeyeater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, a bird which is endemic to New Zealand”)

Usage notes

• The family Mimidae (mimids) also includes thrashers, tremblers, and the New World catbirds.

Translations

songbird of the family Mimidae

• Arabic: المُحاكِي (al-muḥākī)
• Breton: risweer
• Bulgarian: присмехулник (prismehulnik)
• Cahuilla: mu'íkill
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 模仿鸟 (mófǎng niǎo)

• Czech: drozdec m, drozd mnohohlasý m
• Danish: spottedrossel c
• Dutch: spotlijster (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: mokbirdo
• Finnish: matkija (fi)
• French: moqueur (fr) m
• German: Spottdrossel (de) f
• Greek: ατριχόρνις m (atrichórnis)
• Hungarian: sokszavú poszáta (hu)
• Icelandic: hermikráka f
• Irish: éan aithrise m
• Italian: tordo americano m
• Japanese: アザケルトリ (azakerutori)
• Korean: 흉내지빠귀 (hyungnaejippagwi)
• Macedonian: подби́вница f (podbívnica)
• Malay: burung ajuk-ajuk
• Navajo: zahalánii
• Polish: przedrzeźniacz (pl) m
• Portuguese: sabiapoca m
• Romanian: mierloi (ro) m
• Russian: пересме́шник (ru) m (peresméšnik)
• Slovak: drozdec m, drozd mnohohlasný m
• Slovene: oponašalec m
• Spanish: (Mimus spp.): cenzontle (es) m, sinsonte (es) m; (tropical mockingbird, Mimus gilvus): paraulata f (Venezuelan standard usage), chuchube m (Northwestern Venezuela, specifically State of Falcon), chulinga f (Northeastern Venezuela); (Melanotis spp.): mulato m
• Swedish: härmtrast c
• Tagalog: mimido
• Ukrainian: пересмішники (peresmišnyky)
• Vietnamese: chim nhại
• Yatzachi Zapotec: bec̱hjao'

Further reading

• mockingbird on Wikipedia.Wikipedia