Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird
(Mimus polyglottos)
Photo: Ron Austing
Size : 9 - 11 inches long(23 - 28 cm)
Description : Male - Robin-sized. Slender, long-tailed gray bird with white patches on tail and wings.
Female - Same as male
Preferred Habitat: Desert brushland, farms, residential areas, parks
Preferred food : Insects, fruit, berries, seeds
Especially fond of raisins, but will adapt to other feeder foods, such as:
American or cottage cheese, apples, berries, currants, nutmeats, peanut butter,
suet and small grains
Breeding Range : From southern Canada to the Caribbean
Winter Range : Southern part of its range
Interesting Facts: - Most famous of all southern birds, has now expanded its range as far north as New England
- Called 'northern' to distinguish it from the tropical mockingbirds
- Popular cage birds before it became illegal to sell wild birds
- Voice: call is a harsh 'chack'; song is a series of musical phrases, each repeated at least 3 times
- Mimic: known for extraordinary vocal abilities, such as imitation of squeaky gates, barking dogs,
crickets, and frogs, to name a few
- Also known for interesting behavior, such as dancing, performing somersaults in the air,
teasing and dive-bombing cats and dogs
- Very territorial and will viciously attack their own reflections in hubcaps, windows, etc.
- Nests are built 1 - 30 feet above ground, but usually between 3 & 10 feet in a dense bush or tree
- The male gathers the building materials: thorny twigs for the outside; leaves, weeds, bark,
rootlets, paper, string, rags, cotton, moss and hair, for the inside, and plant down, fine grasses,
and horsehair for the lining.
- The female builds the bulky nest
- Clutch size : 4 - 5; Incubation: 12 - 14 days; Nestling period:10 - 13 days