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mockingbird

vesperina

New Member
French
Hey, one of my favorite song is "mocking bird" by Barclay James Harvest but I don't understand what mean the title. I guess it's a bird, but what kind of bird ? is there a french name for this bird ?
Mockingbird [Mimus polyglottos] -- spelt in one word!

Nommé ainsi parce que cet oiseau nord-américain imite le chant d'autres oiseaux.
The song title is mocking bird in two words 👁 Wink ;)
So it could mean, literally, oiseau qui se moque ou oiseau moqueur, without necessarily being a reference to one specific species of bird.
Yes, but, the first line of the song is, "there's a mockingbird, singing songs in the trees" (if my memory serves me well. I have it on vinyl, but not within reach)
Agreed with Quaeitur for "oiseau moqueur" because on the one hand the exact geographical location of the song writer at the time of writing must be known to specify which of the numerous species of mockingbird (moqueur polyglotte, moqueur des savannes, moqueur de Patagonie, moqueur du Chile...) is concerned and on the other hand simply using the ornithological generality "moqueur" would leave the listener uncertain as to whether it concerned a bird, a human, a monkey or a supercilious ant.
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