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Mimus macdonaldi
The hood mockingbird will typically feed on insects, fruits, berries, marine arthropods and small vertebrates, but will also eat carrion from the carcasses of seabirds, lizards and sea lions. Damaged seabird eggs are readily consumed, and it will also use its powerful bill to eat intact eggs and to pluck ticks from the backs of marine and land iguanas. A unique feature of the hood mockingbird is its blood-drinking habit. It commonly drinks blood, especially in the dry season, from wounds on living sea lions, from sea lion placentas, and even from wounds on the legs of humans.
Espaniola, Galapagos
Spotted on Dec 1, 2012
Submitted on Dec 24, 2012
21 Comments
Thank you venusflytrap!
awesome capture, karen, mockingbird and iguana in one shot!
Thank you xavibarreda!
Spectacular image!
Thanks Hemma!
I particularly liked the last picture. Quite a fascinating sight.
Lovely spot!
A vampire of birds! The Hooded Mocking bird! Nice to meet you !
How did I miss this one. HA! LOL! So funny!
Just nature - & more evidence of "adapting to the environment". Espanialo is a very arid island so it may also be a way that they hydrate.
Terrifing!
I missed that Ava - thanks!
What an amazing bird. The article also says, "...and to pluck ticks from the backs of marine and land iguanas."
I've done some more research & found that they do indeed suck blood. I've added another link.
I'm not sure if that was what was happening here but he was certainly hanging out on the iguanas.
Is doing THAT? Wow. Poor.
Whoa! Drinking blood sounds more parasitic than symbiotic!
Haha! Stunning!
What is he doing?
Thanks guys!
Ava, I'm not sure if the mockingbird removes ticks from iguanas like the finches do as there is no mention of that on wiki, but i did find reference to their drinking blood - "We saw Espafiola mockingbirds drink blood from living marine iguanas on San Crist6bal" http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v104n03...
great cache Karen congrats and thanks for sharing
Great spotting Karen. Is the Mockingbird doing something helpful for the iguana? If so this could go in the Symbiotic Relationships mission.
Really nice series Karen!