Species

Northern mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

The grey master mimic of Georgia's yards, singing borrowed songs day and night and defending its nest fearlessly.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 21 to 26 cm long
Weight: About 45 to 58 g
Habitat: Towns, yards, parks and open areas with shrubs
Diet: Insects and berries
In Georgia: Common resident statewide
Voice: Long songs of repeated phrases, many copied from other birds and sounds
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Grey above, paler below; long tail; white wing patches flashed in flight
Told apart from: Loggerhead shrike, which has a black mask and hooked bill
Told apart from: Gray catbird, which is darker and lacks white wing patches
Where to look: Rooftops, fence posts and shrubs

Behaviour

Mockingbirds imitate other birds, car alarms and even frogs, and males may learn over 200 songs. They flash their white wing patches while feeding and aggressively defend nests.

Why they matter

The mockingbird is the state bird of five southern states. It eats many insects and spreads the seeds of berry-bearing shrubs, and its songs record the sounds of the neighbourhood.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup of twigs in a shrub or tree
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 12 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 12 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Mockingbirds defending nests will dive at people and pets for a couple of weeks; avoiding the area ends it.
A singing mockingbird at night is often an unmated male.

Misconceptions

Mockingbirds mock other birds out of spite. Mimicry helps them attract mates and defend territories.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Defending feeding territories	Singing	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Third broods	Young fledging	Present	Defending berry trees	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 72 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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