mocker
8.8
A grey and white songbird with a long tail that copies other birds' songs
- noun
- /ˈmɑːkər/
- US
:
mirlo
- In the garden, we heard the mocker copying the tunes of other birds as it perched on a branch.
Examples
-
With the sun up, the wind dies, and the redbirds and mockers fall dead quiet, and a parched heat settles in for the long day, just dry, dry, dry.
Fiction book (1990) -
A talented mocker can imitate the calls of numerous species, enchanting anyone who listens closely.
-
The mocker sang beautifully at dawn, filling the air with a delightful variety of sounds.
Synonyms
14
5.8
A gray and white songbird that copies other birds' songs
has identical meaning but is a different common name
songster
vsmocker
1
6.7
A bird that makes clear, pleasant sounds
is a specific mimicking southern species rather than any singing bird
8.1
A small songbird that copies the songs and calls of other birds
refers specifically to the long-tailed gray-and-white southern species rather than thrush-like ones
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word mocker for the bird comes from mock ('to copy') and the common name mockingbird. That's why a mocker is a bird known for copying the songs of other birds.