Galápagos Mockingbird, Galapagos Islands by David Whited

Galápagos Mockingbird, Galapagos Islands

David Whited

Galápagos Mockingbird, Galapagos Islands

Digital photography

Inv: PH-1655

The Galápagos mockingbird (*Mimus parvulus*) is the most widespread of the four mockingbird species endemic to the Galápagos Islands, found on most of the archipelago's larger islands, and it played a key role in Charles Darwin's early thinking about evolution, since he noticed subtle differences between mockingbird populations on different islands even before he focused on the more famous finches; it's a grayish-brown bird with a long, slightly curved bill, known for being bold, curious, and often approaching humans or pecking at unattended food and water, and it has an omnivorous diet that includes insects, small reptiles, seeds, fruit, and even the eggs of other birds, reflecting the opportunistic feeding habits typical of island species with few natural predators.