Wing-flashing is a frequently-cited behavior reported in multiple species of the genus Mimus sensu lato (Passeriformes Mimidae), including Grey catbird Dumetella carolinensis (Batts 1962; Michael 1970), Northern mockingbird M. polyglottus (Gander 1931; Sutton 1946; Tomkins 1950), Tropical mockingbird M. gilvus (Haverschmidt 1953; Whitaker 1957), Bahama mockingbird M. gundlachii (Aldridge 1984), Longtailed mockingbird M. longicaudatus (Bowman & Carter 1971), Chalk-browed mockingbird M. saturninus (Halle 1948), Galapagos mockingbirds (Nesomimus spp.) (Hundley 1963; Bowman & Carter 1971; Burtt et al. 1994), Socorro mockingbird Mimodes graysoni (Curry & Martínez-González, pers. comm. in Burtt et al. 1994), and Brown thrasher Toxostoma rufum (Laskey in Sutton 1946; Tomkins 1950; Thomas in Whitaker 1957; Michael 1970). Though the behaviour is clearly widespread in the family it remains poorly described in most neotropical species (Burtt et al. 1994) and its function is still debated. Previous works have associated wing-flashing with defensive behaviour (Hicks 1955; Sazima 2015), wariness (Sutton 1946) foraging (Gander 1931; Allen 1947) and breeding activities (Dhondt & Kemink 2008). Wingflashing as currently understood occurs in both sexes and even immature individuals (Horwich 1965). However there is much confusion as to what actually constitutes wing-flashing and a lack of clarity may well be adding to the misunderstanding (Hailman 1960). In this contribution we describe, illustrate and discuss observations of wing flashing in the two mockingbird species known to occur in Paraguay: Chalk-browed mockingbird Mimus saturninus and White-banded mockingbird Mimus triurus. Such behaviour is reported for the latter species for the first time. We also provide some additional comments on the contexts of the behaviour, the need for proper documentation of the observed behaviours and suggest some overlooked concepts that future researchers should bear in mind when developing their observation methodologies.
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