Española Mockingbird: Facts and Where to See It

Española mockingbirds look much like their relatives, with dark marks on the underside and a more curved bill. They eat almost anything they find in the open lowland scrub: insects, crabs, small lizards and fruit. They peck ticks from iguanas, crack other birds' eggs, and in the dry season have been seen drinking blood from wounded sea lions, marine iguanas, albatrosses and Nazca booby chicks.

• Groups. Up to 8 birds in the breeding season, up to 40 foraging together the rest of the year.
• Breeding. In March and April, usually one egg per pair.
• Tame. The guide records describe them at Punta Suárez as unusually tame.

As the name says, it lives only on Española, in open lowland areas with scrub, scattered trees or Opuntia cactus. Goats once destroyed much of this habitat; they have since been removed from the island.

Of the four mockingbird species in Galápagos, each lives on its own islands: the Galápagos mockingbird on most of the central and northern islands, the Floreana mockingbird on two islets off Floreana, a fourth species on San Cristóbal, and this one on Española, where it is the largest of them all.

Guide sighting records list them at 2 sites, both on Española and both rated Likely: Punta Suárez, where they are unusually tame, and the beach at Gardner Bay.

Española mockingbirds can be seen all year round. In the next twelve months, 380 departures stop at a site where they are seen.

It is listed as Vulnerable. Rats and cats eat the birds and their eggs, avian pox is a risk, and a range limited to one island leaves it exposed to El Niño and other extreme weather. It benefits from the removal of invasive species and is protected by the national park.

1. Offering water or food. These birds come close, but park rules forbid feeding wildlife.
2. Bringing food ashore. Visitors are responsible for not introducing food into the archipelago.
3. Leaving out Española. It is the only island with this species.