Northern mockingbird prefers living near forest edges, open areas
Growing up in rural North Carolina, I remember listening to northern mockingbirds all through the night. Yes, they sing all day and well into the night. One of my favorites was their imitation of the bobwhite quail. Male mockingbirds are capable of learning up to 200 different sounds throughout their life. They mimic not only other birds but also insects, frogs, dogs, cats and occasionally a car horn.
The northern mockingbird is a medium-sized songbird that is a bit more slender than a thrush and with a longer tail. They have a small head and a short, black bill with a slight downward curve. Pale gray overall with two white wing bars. White patches on their wings become large white flashes in flight. Their white outer tail fathers are also very visible in flight.
Mockingbirds are found throughout the U.S. except the northern West and Midwest. They prefer to live near forest edges and open areas, adapting to urban areas with high human activity. They usually perch conspicuously on high vegetation and fences and can be seen running and hopping along the ground. Their diet consists primarily of insects and berries. They can occasionally be seen at bird feeders.
Mockingbirds are extraordinarily territorial. They swoop and dive at pretty much everything, including other birds, cats and people that venture near its nesting site.
Mockingbirds are prolific breeders, known to make upwards of 7 nesting attempts during a single season. They are monogamous and select only one partner to mate with for life. To attract a mate, males perform courtship dances, leaping into the air and flapping their wings to display their white wing patches. All this done while singing. Male mockingbirds actively participate in finding a nesting site and building the underlying structure of the nest, sometimes building multiple nests before the female chooses one by filling in the lining with grasses and leaves. Only females incubate the greenish to bluish gray eggs, usually three to four that generally hatch in 14 days. Males do participate in feeding the nestlings who leave the nest in 10 to 12 days. The parents care for the fledglings for another week before they are left to strike out on their own.
Be on the lookout for this master of mimicry; enjoy its repertoire, and above all remember, it’s a sin To Kill a Mockingbird!
Ken Bunkowski and his son, Matt, are co-owners of Wild Birds Unlimited shops in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and look forward to sharing the joy that birds bring into our lives.