Northern Mockingbird

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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Northern Mockingbird | image = Mimus-polyglottos-001.jpg | image_width = 256px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Passeriformes | familia = Mimidae | genus = Mimus | species = M. polyglottos | binomial = Mimus polyglottos | binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) }}

The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is the mockingbird commonly found in North America.

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General information

Adults have grey heads and upperparts with pale yellow eyes and a slim black bill with a slight downward curve; the underparts are light. They have a long dark tail with white edges and long dark legs. They have white wing bars and show white wing patches in flight.

Their breeding habitat is areas with a mix of open areas and dense shrubs from southern Canada to Mexico, but they are most common in the southern United States, especially the coastal region from Florida to Texas. They build a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree. This bird aggressively defends its nest against other birds and animals, including humans. When a predator is persistent mockingbirds from neighboring territories, summoned by a distinct call, may join the attack. Other birds may gather to watch as the mockingbirds harass the intruder.

They are generally permanent residents; northern birds may move south during harsh weather. However, this species has occurred in Europe as an extreme rarity.

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. While foraging they frequently spread their wings in a peculiar two-step motion to display the white patches. The purpose of this behavior is disputed. Some ornithologists say this is purely a territorial display, while others say that flashing the white patches startles hiding insects and forces them into the open.

This bird imitates the calls of other birds, animal sounds and machine noises. It is often found in urban areas. It often sings through the night, especially when the moon is full, and may continue year-round except for the late-summer moulting season. Individual males have repertoires of 50 to 200 songs; females sing more quietly and less often than males. Mockingbirds usually sing the loudest in the twilight of the early morning when the sun is on the horizon. While singing on a high perch they will often bolt several feet into the air in a looping motion, with wings outstretched to display their white underside, then land back on the perch without breaking a note. That serves as a territorial display.

Mockingbirds' willingness to nest near houses, loud and frequent songs, and territorial defense often annoy people. John van der Linden, the author of the Eastern Birding Central FAQ, says that 25 to 50 percent of the e-mail questions he receives are about how to deal with annoying mockingbirds.

Mockingbirds have a strong preference for certain trees such as maple, sweetgum, and sycamore. They generally avoid pine trees after the other trees have grown their leaves. Also, they have a particular preference for high places, such as the topmost branches of trees and the tops of telephone poles. In urban areas, mockingbirds rarely come down to the ground, unlike many birds.

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Mockingbird in US culture

Image:E-Mockingbird.png

This is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, all southern states.

The "Mockingbird" is celebrated in a song of the same name by Barclay James Harvest, and in the title and central metaphor of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In said novel, mockingbirds are portrayed as innocent and generous, and the main character (Atticus) says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.

The traditional American lullaby "Mockingbird" has been recorded in numerous musical styles. The lyrics refer to the fact that Northern Mockingbirds were once popular as pets and begin:

Hush little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing,

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

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