The Northern Mockingbird -Mimus
polyglottos - is the only mockingbird commonly found in North
America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern
birds may move south during harsh weather. The bird is the state bird of Mississippi.
Mockingbirds have a strong preference for certain trees such as maple, sweetgum
and sycamore.
Description
The adults have mainly gray
upperparts, but note the blackish wings with striking white wing bars and white
patch (larger in males) at base of primaries. Tail is mainly black, but with
contrasting white outer feathers. Dark line emphasizes the beady yellow eye.
Underparts are pale gray-buff, palest on throat and undertail. Bill is dark and
slightly down curved and legs are dark. Juveniles have paler upperparts, while
underparts are warmer buff and heavily spotted on throat and breast.
Call
The Northern Mockingbird is best
known for its mimicry in North America. It
imitates not only birds but also other animals and mechanical sounds such as
car alarms. They are also some of the loudest and most constantly vocal of
birds. In addition to its well-known song, the Northern Mockingbird uses a
variety of calls to communicate specific information. As with its song, these
calls are among some of the louder sounds produced by birds of its size.
Mockingbirds make a harsh, raspy noise when chasing other birds out of their
territory. A similar but distinct call is used when defending against predators
like a hawk or falcon. Other calls include a wheezing noise, a
"chuck" note, and a very piercing series of notes "high
low" repeated twice.
Food
They eat mainly insects in
summer, but switch to eating mostly fruit in fall and winter. These birds
forage on the ground or in vegetation; they also fly down from a perch to
capture food. They mainly eat insects, berries and seeds.
Breeding
The males establish a nesting
territory in early February. If a female enters his territory, the male will
pursue the female with initial aggressive calls and, if she becomes
uninterested, with softer calls. Once the pair is established, their song
becomes gentler. Northern Mockingbirds tend to be monogamous, and the female
may return to the same male from the previous season. Both the male and female
are involved in the nest building. The male does most of the work.
The nest is built approximately
three to 10 feet above the ground. The outer part of the nest is composed of
twigs, while the inner part is lined with grasses, dead leaves, moss or
artificial fibers. The eggs are a light blue or greenish color and speckled
with dots. Three to five eggs are laid by the female, and she incubates them
for nearly two weeks. Once the eggs are hatched, both the male and female feed
the chicks.
The birds aggressively defend their
nest and surrounding area against other birds and animals.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
Common and widespread. Northern
Mockingbirds have rebounded from lows in the nineteenth century, when many were
trapped or taken from nests and sold as cage birds.
Bird watching
The Northern Mockingbird enjoys
making its presence known. It usually sits conspicuously on high vegetation,
fences, eaves, or telephone wires, or runs and hops along the ground. Found
alone or in pairs throughout the year, mockingbirds aggressively chase off
intruders on their territory. Look for Northern Mockingbirds sitting high on
tall shrubs, poles, or utility lines. Around your yard, you can also look for
them running or hopping along your mowed lawn. You may be able to first identify
the presence of a Northern Mockingbird by listening for its song which usually
mimics numerous other birds at once.
Texas
Hotspots
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
City of Anahuac Nature Trail
Attwater
Prairie-Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
Big Reef Nature
Park/East Beach Galveston Island
Bolivar Flats
Bird Sanctuary
Brazoria National
Wildlife Refuge
Brazos Bend
State Park
Bryan Beach
State Park
Christmas Bay
State Park
Galveston Island
State Park
High Island Bird Sanctuary
Horseshoe Ponds
Trail
Jones State
Forest
Rollover Pass
Sabine Woods
San Bernard
National Wildlife Refuge
San
Jacinto
Battleground
San Luis
Pass
Sea Rim
State Park
Sheldon State Park
Smith Point and
the Candy Abshier Wildlife Management Area
The Texas City Dike
White Memorial Park
Big Bend National Park
Aransas NWR
Bentsen Rio Grande
State Park
Davis Mountains
State Park
The Edwards Plateau
King Ranch
The Great Texas Coastal
Birding Trail.
Balcones
Canyonlands NWR
Buffalo Lake NWR
Hagerman NWR
Laguna Atascosa
NWR
Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR
McFaddin NWR
Muleshoe NWR
Santa Ana NWR
San Bernard NWR
Trinity NWR
Bolivar Peninsula, Texas
Big Thicket
National Preserve
Hazel Bazemore
County Park
Bridge City
(Orange County)
and Adjacent Areas of Jefferson
County
Claiborne West
Park (Orange County)
Hillebrandt Bayou
Watershed of Jefferson
County
Jefferson County North and West of Interstate 10
Pleasure Island
Port Arthur
Sabine Pass to Texas Point
Sabine
Woods
Sea Rim
State Park
Beach Unit
Sea Rim
State Park Marshlands Unit
Taylor Bayou
Watershed of Jefferson
County
Tyrrell Park and Cattail Marsh
The Sabal Palm
Audubon Center
and Sanctuary
Feather Lake wildlife sanctuary
Camp Tyler
Tyler State Park
Lake Tyler
Old Sabine WMA
Rose Rudman
Park
Gus Engeling WMA
UT Tyler Campus
Richland Creek WMA
South
Padre Island
Caddo Lake RAMSAR Site
Hornsby Bend Treatment Facility
Clymer Meadow
Mount Livermore
Chandler
Independence Creek
Clive Runnells
Family Mad Island Marsh Preserve
Matagorda Island
Dolan Falls
Pineywoods