Most widespread of the mockingbirds in Galápagos: lives on all major islands except those islands and adjacent islets currently or formerly inhabited by one of the other 3 species [Española, San Cristóbal, Floreana] and also absent from Pinzón.

Size varies among several subspecies; includes smallest mockingbirds in the archipelago.

Cooperative breeder on most islands: non-breeders act as helpers at nests in their group's territory, and some breeders help raise nestlings in nests other than their own.

Subspecies names following Swarth (1931):

Galápagos Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus parvulus]
Most central islands: Santa Cruz [Indefatigable], Seymour Norte [North Seymour], Isabela [Albemarle], and Fernandina [Narborough]. Occasional on Isla Daphne Major [probably strays from Santa Cruz]. Extirpated from Baltra during World War II.

Pinta Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus personatus]
Endemic to Isla Pinta [Abingdon]

Genovesa Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus bauri]
Endemic to Isla Genovesa [Tower]

Santa Fe Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus barringtoni]
Endemic to Isla Santa Fe [Barrington]

James Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus bindloei]
Islas Marchena [Bindloe], Santiago [James], and Rábida [Jervis]

Wolf Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus wenmani]
Endemic to Isla Wolf [Wenman]

Darwin Mockingbird [Nesomimus parvulus hulli]
Endemic to Isla Darwin [Culpepper]

Note: no evidence of mockingbirds has ever been obtained from Isla Pinzón [Duncan]. This island lies within the overall range of N. parvulus parvulus, so that subspecies would be expected there. One hypothesis for the absence of mockingbirds from Pinzón assumes that black rats [Rattus rattus], which colonized the island during the late 1700s or early 1800s with the arrival of whalers intent on taking tortoises [rats may have arrived even early, in the days of the buccaneers]. According to this hypothesis, mockingbirds were driven to extinction by rats before any naturalists visited Pinzón.

The hypothesis could be supported if fossil or subfossil mockingbird bones could be found on the island, but no such bones have been found to date, in part because few lava tubes of the sort that have produced many fossils on other islands [Floreana, Santa Cruz] have been located on Pinzón.

Floreana mockingbird
One of the rarest birds in the world. Total population size [as of 1990] approximately 250 birds, with 50 individuals on Champion [9.5 hectare islet] and 200 on Gardner-by-Floreana [about 81 hectares].

Critically endangered because of small population size and limited geographic range.

Extinct on Floreana, its original primary range. Observed on Floreana by Darwin in 1835 but extinct there since about 1880. Probably cause of extinction was predation by introduced black rats, Rattus rattus; predation by introduced cats and habitat degradation by goats may also have contributed. There are no rats on Champion or Gardner.

Fossils from lava tubes on Floreana confirm former inhabitation.

Cooperative breeder, with up to 8 adults living in group territories.

Up to 2 pairs breeding at separate nests [with occasional joint-nesting] in each territorial group.

Espanola mockingbird
Largest of all of the mockingbirds in Galápagos.

Lives only on Española and Gardner-by-Española, a small adjacent islet.

Maintains territories in all habitats on the islands where it occurs.

Extraordinarily fearless of humans; frequently lands on tourists visiting Punta Suarez site at western tip of Española.

More opportunistic feeding habits than any of the other mockingbirds; known to eat insects, fruit, bird eggs, nestling songbirds, blood, sealion placentas, lizards.

Maintains social groups of up to at least 25 individuals, within which up to 4 pairs breed at separate nests [with occasional joint-nesting].

Cooperative breeder: non-breeders act as helpers at nests in their group's territory, and some breeders help raise nestlings in nests other than their own.

San Cristobal mockingbird
Lives only on San Cristóbal and Isla Pitt, a small islet adjacent to the east end of San Cristóbal.

Does not maintain territories in all habitats on the island. Absent from woodland habitat.

Quite shy in comparison with other mockingbirds in the archipelago.

Nests placed higher in trees than on other islands, possibly in reponse to predation threat from black rats and cats.

Not known to brred cooperatively. Territories occupied by simple pairs, sometimes accompanied by at most one additional adult; extra birds disperse readily into unoccupied habitat.