On the Functions of Wing-flashing in Mockingbirds

I N recent years, several notes in this journal have called attention to the distinctive wing-flashing of the Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) , in which the wings are opened upward at about 45” in a series of jerking movements, then closed. In this display, large white wing patches are exposed. The function of this behavior remains unknown; but, since the display is most frequently seen being performed by birds that are foraging on the ground, it has been suggested (Gander, 1931; Allen, 1947) that exposure of the contrastingly patterned wings facilitates food-getting by startling the more active insect types and illuminatin, v the more sluggish types in dark areas on the ground. This interpretation has been questioned, however, by Sutton (1946) and Halle (1948), who noted that wing-flashing also occurs in the Calandria Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) , and by Haverschmidt’ s (1953) and Whitaker’ s (1957) observations on M. giluus, species which lack white patches in the wings. An understanding of the functional significance of this behavior will be achieved only when we have more complete information on the behavioral contexts in which it appears. Th ere ore, the following notes on its use in f agonistic situations may be of some value.