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Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch |
Species Profile: Northern Mockingbird Species Name: Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Description: Length: 10.5 inches. The Northern Mockingbird is a medium sized slim bird of predominantly gray tones. It has white wingbars, and the outer edges of the long tail are white. These features are best seen when the bird is in flight.
Range: The Northern Mockingbird is found year round in the southern half of the lower 48 states and in the northeastern coastal states including Massachusetts. It summers throughout New York and the middle part of the US west to Nevada. The range has expanded northward over past 40-50 years, perhaps related to suburban sprawl, ornamental plantings in yards, and backyard feeding.
Breeding Bird Survey Range Map
Christmas Bird Count Distribution Map
Behavior: Unlike most of the Mimids, the Northern Mockingbird is not a skulker and can be found in many open settings and in close proximity to human structures. It is a common backyard bird for many people in the US, and it's vocal tendencies make it well known even to non birders.
The Northern Mockingbird seems to delight in incorporating bits of the songs of neighboring birds into it's own song; this is believed to be a demonstration of a male's fitness for breeding and a sign that the bird occupies a territory rich enough in resources to support such a diversity of other species.
Mockingbirds are seen by many suburban dwellers as unwelcome neighbors because of their tendency to loudly sing throughout the night in spring as their hormones rage during the start of nesting season. This is usually the time home owners are enjoying the good weather and often trying to sleep with the windows open.
Mockingbirds are he most talented mimics in their family, and even incorporate mechanical sounds into their songs. This includes the sounds of beepers used to indicate a truck backing up, and more recently car alarms.
Mockingbirds are fearless defenders of their territory and young. They frequently make life miserable for cats that venture into their range, actually flying down and hitting the back of the cat with their bills.
Related or Similar Species: The Northern Mockingbird is a member of the Mimidae family; the family is noted for their singing and incorporation of the songs of other birds into their own songs. The Mimids also include the Gray Catbird and the thrashers (Sage, Brown, Long-billed, Curve-billed, Bendire's, Crissal, LeConte's, and California). There are two other mockingbirds that occur in the US: the Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii) that is a rare visitor to Florida; and the Blue Mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) that has occurred in Arizona on two occasions.
The Bahama Mockingbird is slightly larger and could be mistaken for a scruffy or juvenile Northern Mockingbird due to the streaking on the body. The Bahama Mockingbird does not show the white wing patches of the Northern.
The Sage Thrasher has a slight resemblance to a juvenile Northern Mockingbird as well, but is smaller, browner, without wing patches, and with more of a curved bill.
The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) has a superficial resemblance to the Northern Mockingbird, being of about the same general size and having a mostly gray plumage marked with white and black. But the shrike has a very large head for the size of the body in comparison to the mockingbird, with a large hooked beak and black feathers forming a mask about the eyes.
Identification: Straightforward. Usually prominently perched; often vocal. Robin sized. Found in brushy areas and backyards.
Images
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Northern Mockingbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 14
Northern Mockingbird 21
Northern Mockingbird 22
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