The Long-tailed Mockingbird (Mimus longicaudatus) is a species of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 in the Mimidae family. It is found in dry scrubland and woodland in western Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

.

In Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 it is found throughout the coastal region, although much less so south of Ica.

The bird favours open habitats with scattered low bushes and shrubs, such as forest edge and young second growth, montane scrub.

It is frequently found in gardens and parks—especially in Miraflores

Miraflores

Miraflores is the name of several places in Spanish-speaking countries. It is also the name of a battle fought in Peru in 1881. It means "to watch flowers" or "flower's view" from mira and flores .-Places:Europe...

 and other parts of Greater Lima

Lima

Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...

. It often feeds on the ground, running forwards on relatively long legs.

Description

An attractive, thrush-like bird, the Long-tailed Mockingbird has an with a long, elegant tail which it carries at a pert angle whilst on the ground. Its plumage is made up of gray, cappuccino, and dun coloured feathers. The outer tail feathers are broadly tipped white. Its face has been described as harlequin pattered. The juevenile is duller, with a dark iris, and is spotted or streaked on underparts.

Voice

The voice of the Long-Tailed Mockingbird is "a fairly slow-paced series of variable rich whistled notes, churrs, rattles, squawks, and other noises, often with phrases repeated. Calls a throaty "garr!" and rapsing "gaawrr".