Editing Socorro mockingbird (section)

==Systematics and taxonomy==
This is a rather distinct ''[[Mimus]]'' mockingbird and was for some time placed into a distinct [[genus]], ''Mimodes''. This was revealed to be incorrect based on analysis of [[mtDNA]] [[NADH dehydrogenase]] [[Protein subunit|subunit]] 2 [[DNA sequence|sequence]]s.<ref name = barberetal2004 />

Rather, the present species is closely related to the [[northern mockingbird|northern]] and [[tropical mockingbird]]s. Its distinctiveness is the result of the strong [[natural selection|selective]] pressure on its island home, which enforced the [[evolution]] of conspicuous [[adaptation (biology)|adaptation]]al [[autapomorph]]ies. The juvenile plumage might also have been the result of [[genetic drift]] enforced maybe by [[resource partitioning]] in this aggressive bird. The standard model of [[molecular clock]]s cannot be applied for [[mimid]]s as their rates of [[mutation]] seem to vary much over time.<ref name=Hunt/> While it is the most [[phenotypical]]ly distinctive bird on Socorro, it also has the strongest [[ecological]] change from its ancestors; therefore its distinctiveness is not informative except supporting the theory that it is one of the older Socorro endemics.<ref name = b&h1953 />

Thus, and because the adaptation to the peculiar conditions on Socorro may even have accelerated not only [[morphology (biology)|morphological]] but also [[molecular evolution]]&nbsp;– see also [[founder effect]]&nbsp;&mdash; it cannot be said with any certainty whether or not among ''Mimus'', the Socorro species is a quite recent island offshoot of either of the mainland species. In any case, the three [[taxa]] are very close relatives.