Amazing Facts About Northern Mockingbird

Amazing Facts About Northern Mockingbird

Image Source: "Mimus polyglottos adult 02 cropped" by Captain-tucker - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mimus_polyglottos_adult_02_cropped.jpg#/media/File:Mimus_polyglottos_adult_02_cropped.jpg

1. True to its scientic name polyglottos “many tongues”, the mockingbird likes to mimic many other birds, insects, animals, machinery, and even musical instruments.

2. Their nickname is “mocker".  They will sing all night if the moon is bright!

3. Mockingbirds are medium sized birds, gray above and pale below.  They have white wing patches and outer tail feathers, slender black beaks and legs.

4. Mockingbirds have slender bodies with a long tail and legs. Look closely and they have a dark eye-line.

5. They will fly down and attack any human or wildlife if they come near their nest or territory, so look out!

6. Mockingbirds will not eat out of bird feeders, but you will see them gathering up insects around the feeder. They do eat some berries and fruit. They are Omnivores.

7. They will jerk their wings up and over their back to scare insects out of hiding.

8. When Texas chose the mockingbird as its state bird, the resolution stated that the bird is "a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense, like any true Texan..." Its species name comes from the Greek mimus to mimic, and ployglottos for "many-tongued.”

9. They have also been known to imitate other sounds they hear such as rusty hinges, whistling and dogs barking.  It is thought  that the wing-flashing they do helps to flush insects and confuse predators.

10. Unmated male mockingbirds sing more than mated ones. 

Image Source:

"Northern Mocking Bird Display" by Manjithkaini - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_Mocking_Bird_Display.jpg#/media/File:Northern_Mocking_Bird_Display.jpg

11. Mockingbirds often form long-term pair bonds.

12. Mockingbirds vigorously defend their territory against many other species  including dogs, cats and man!

13. Female mockingbirds often build a new nest while the males finish feeding older fledglings and teaching them to fly.

14. Scientists have found that female mockingbirds are attracted to males that can make the most different sounds.

15. Mockingbirds are the state bird of Texas and one of the few birds found in every kind of habitat, from desert to forest to city.

16. Mockingbirds are thought to raise and lower their wings in order to scare up a meal of insects, frighten snakes and impress their mates.

17. The fact that they enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables hasn’t exactly made them gardeners’ friends either, although they do eat lots of insects.  But like many Texans they are industrious, bold and brash.

18. The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird Texas,Arkansas,Florida,Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee.

19. The songs of birds are not the only sounds it copies: car alarms, police whistles, flute concertos, crickets, frog croaks, and squeaky gates also have been sampled. One male mocker was heard imitating 59 other bird species during a 1-hour period; a single bird can boast a repertoire of up to 200 songs.