What is a Mockingbird?
By Mike • April 23, 2007 • 220 commentsMockingbirds are members of the Mimidae family, a group of American passerines that also includes thrashers, tremblers, and New World catbirds. These stentorian songbirds, medium sized with angular proportions and long, twitchy tails, range from the Canadian border down through South America.
The Northern Mockingbird, the most well known representative of this family above the equator, is known scientifically as Mimus polyglottos, which comes from the Greek “mimus” to mimic, and “ployglottos” for many-tongued. The song of the mockingbird is actually a medley of the calls of many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times before another song is initiated. A given bird may have 30, 40 or even 200 songs in its repertoire, including other bird songs, insect and amphibian sounds, and even the occasional mechanical noise.
Northern Mockingbird by Corey
Part of the mockingbird’s advantage over other avians is physical; it uses more of the muscles in its vocal organ, the syrinx, than most other passerines do, many more than non-passerines like raptors or waterfowl. But the mockingbird also has a mind for music. It’s been theorized that this species has more brain matter devoted to song memory than most other birds do. Why does the mockingbird sing? The vocal mimicry trait seems to indicate that lyrical flow is an especially potent aphrodisiac in mockingbird circles, although some lonely males warble and whine the whole night through when unable to find a mate.
- “Northern” is a rather ambiguous descriptor for Mimus polyglottos, as it is the only mockingbird to appear regularly anywhere north of Mexico. The Northern Mockingbird, clad in shades of gray with conspicuous white wing patches, enjoys exceptional popularity for such a drab specimen, evident in the fact that it is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
- Other Mimus species mockingbirds, 9 in all, closely resemble the Northern Mockingbird, which, in my experience, is more common in the Bahamas than the Bahama Mockingbird (M. gundlachii) and may even appear in the tropics alongside the Tropical Mockingbird (M. gilvus). No wonder it’s so popular!
- Birds of the genus Nesomimus are known as the Galapagos mockingbirds. These 4 species endemic to the celebrated archipelago, Galapagos (N. parvulus), Floreana (N. trifasciatus), Espanola (N. macdonaldi), and San Cristobal (N. melanotis), are said to have been extremely influential in shaping Darwin’s theories on the origins of life. Tragically, the critically endangered Floreana mockingbird is extinct on the island for which it is named.
- The only Mimodes mockingbird, the Socorro Mockingbird (M. graysoni), endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands, is also endangered.
- Species in the genus Melanotis certainly live up to their billing as the blue mockingbirds. The Blue (M. caerulescens) and Blue-and-white (M. hypoleucus), found in Mexico and Central America, both appear exquisitely azure, a dramatic departure from the family’s typical ashen hues.
- It’s considered a sin to kill a mockingbird, or at least that’s what we’re told in the book of the same name. Why? As Harper Lee says, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
Galapagos Mockingbird
Tropical Mockingbird (notice the absence of white in its wings)
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Great book. Great bird. Great post.
One Mocker won my heart for the species. I used to show Labradors and one summer I kept going out and getting after the dogs to quit whining. One day, I went out and they were ALL asleep. Looked around . . . Mockingbird. I’m sure it was all a huge birdy joke.
That’s a fitting story, Liza Lee. Thanks!
I’m a student at CUNY Queens, and I was surprised when I transferred here at the beginning of last fall semester to see a type of bird which I had never before seen elsewhere in New York - neither upstate, in Binghamton, or further out on Long Island. It’s about the size of a cardinal or starling, with striking black-and-white plumage on its tail, and I don’t think I have to spell out what species it turned out to be.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the campus mockingbirds actually surprised me while studying outside by imitating a long string of actual cell-phone rings, accurate enough that I checked my phone before I thought to look into the tree above me.
Maybe a Mexican vacation will be in my near future. I’d love to see those blue mockingbirds.
My daughter an I watched two mockingbirds this morning either playing or fighting-not sure which.How do I tell male from female? At times ,it seemed as if they were dancing.Very beautiful to watch,they are still at it,over 40 minutes.
Jill, there is no obvious way to distinguish between male and female Northern Mockingbirds. Males are much more vocal, especially in spring, but the two genders share similar plumage.
Wonderfully informative and appreciative page about the Mockingbird. It captures, along with Harper Lee’s quote, what is so special about these birds. I have gotten more pleasure from listening to Mockingbirds sing than from nearly any other bird. And visually, to see them dance around the yard, as Jill, above, reports, is a beautiful ballet. Thanks for this page.
my class and i are about to start the book, To Kill a Mockingbird and this website has helped a lot for giving us background knowledge… thank you so much
I have just retired in the past few mounts. Have really enjoyed watching two Mockingbirds building a nest in a little bush in my front yard, and having four little birds. The mom & dad are very good providers & protectors for there little ons.I think I am in love with all of them. I catch mysel talking to them, wisheling, & singing.
Hello, Mike.
We have a nest in our ficus tree being diligently managed by a pair of mockingbirds. We also have 1/2 dozen mischevious and voracious beagles/beagle-mixes, so I was wondering if Mockingbird babies have a tendency to fall out of their nests - any more or less than the average bird.
Also, on average how many babies do mockingbirds tend to hatch? How long from the time they complete the nest to hatching, typically?
It has been a delight to have them as neighbors and have the opportunity to observe their work ethic and “commitment to family” ;o)
P.S. What’s their average lifespan? Do mockingbirds tend to Re-nest in the same locations yr after yr?
Clearly the melodic medley and fervent warbling atop our 35 ft. Leppo Pine paid-off for our former bachelor Mockingbird. We’re in AZ, btw.
We are going stir crazy with sleep deprivation. We have a mockingbird that has not shut up for 1 week straight. Day and night. He wakes us up all night long. He sits somewhere in a tree in our nieghbors back yard. It has come to the point that we want to shoot it. There is nothing more soothing than listening to chirping birds in the mornings. But this is absolutley ridiculous. What do we do. I did read he is probably a lonely male looking for a female. Can’t he go elsewhere and look!!!! He is not finding one here.
[...] The added couple hundred yards of walking was not appreciated but not life-threatening either. What was annoying is as I was walking to the entrance a flock of four Laughing Gulls found my predicament funny and did what they are named for as they flew past. Mocked by birds! And not even mockingbirds! [...]
Anyone know how to silence a mockingbird that has been sitting on my chimney for three weeks…It squaks and sings all day and most of the night….that’s all we can hear in our livingroom. Is there anything that will scare it away to another spot?
I’m in the same situation as Sharon and Jan. Any help would be good, but I’m afraid that I might have to wait until mating season is over unless I find a way to kill the thing, since they’re so territorial and don’t seem to be afraid of anything. They chase away crows and constantly attack hawks. Help!
P.S. I wouldn’t actually kill the thing; just tired of losing sleep.
Sharon, Jan, and Chris - I hate to say it but it sounds like you’re bedeviled by bachelor birds. Unless you know any mockingbird matchmakers, those young bucks are going to be moaning after midnight for weeks to come. Eventually, they’ll come to terms with their lack of companionship but until that time, they’ll be complaining… loudly.
I should note that mockingbirds, like all wild, native American birds, are protected by the Migratory Bird Act. You may want to throw a boot at the bird like they do in the old cartoons, but alas, you cannot!
Here in AZ we have one mockingbird that loves to sing and dance on top of a street light pole. We can hear it all times of the day and night and we have no complaints. We feed the quail and doves in the back yard seed and cut up lettuce, but the mockingbird never eats that stuff. We have seen it jump into the air to apparently catch a flying insect, but as of yet, I have not seen anything on that their diet consists of.
Enjoy your mockingbirds !! They are truly one of nature’s best and most intelligent birds.
Having rcvd notice of Mike’s personal reply to posts made by Chris, Jan and Sharon, I was disappointed to not have received any response to my posts, which were sent nearly 3 weeks ago. Meanwhile, I received prompt, helfpul replies from All Experts, which I can, therefore, recommend. Sadly, since my original post the only 2 fledglings both inexplicably perished within the 1st 24 hrs after jumping their nest, despite them being successfully fed by both parents. . .Curt, our mockers really like the berries on our ficus tree and bottle brush. They have also responded favorly to the apple slices we’ve hung for them . . .our male is back to singing and the female appears to be “hanging around”, but no sign of nesting or renesting. . .
Oh great, Lisa! We just planted four bottle brush shrubs in our front yard….oh well…..Lisa did you check the box (or whatever) that said you wanted to be notified of responses…maybe that’s why you didn’t get any feedback. We live in the northern side of Houston…and have had mockingbirds before…but this is the first one to reside (and leave droppings) all over my chimney cap while singing his little heart out….thanks for the feedback everyone..
Hi,
There has been a mocking bird singing all night long in the tree right in front of my bedroom window. Now he is flying around with another bird that is blue and that looks a lot like him. I did some research on this blue bird, but I don’t know what kind of bird it is. It looks a lot like a bright colored blue mocking bird. Its so pretty. Are there any bright colored blue mocking birds is southern CA?
Thanks
Lisa, I’m glad that you were able to find answers to your inquiries. As far as I know, mockingbirds do not have a tendency to leap from their nest any greater than most other songbirds, but like most songbirds, suffer a high mortality rate. If anyone else has information on this aspect of mockingbird development, please join in!
Alicia, while there are blue mockingbirds in the world, they do not turn up in California. I’m fairly certain you’re describing a Western Scrub-jay, which does bear a strong resemblance to mockers, even though they’re not related.
It is Midnight, I need to work at 7am. Not only that, but this bird has been waking my 20mo old daughter every night, several times. I want to enjoy the lovely melody of this mockingbird in my tree, but at a decent hour. I must admit, I did throw a chopstick at the tree and it quieted him for about 1 minute, but now I realize after visiting this site that I am not supposed to do that. I am all for protecting wildlife, but my mamma bird instincts have set in, and me and my daughter (and my husband) NEED SOME SLEEP!!
Isn’t there some kind of birdy dating website out there to speed up this whole mating process? Like wingmatch.com? Is there anything I can do to help him attract a female faster (I read something about apple slices)
Ironically enough, where we live is not very “Rural” (actually it is more like “Urban NJ.” Our tree is almost the biggest around here and we just planted it like 4 yrs ago (not to mention the oil storage facilitly and refinery less than 2 blocks away). I can take the pigeons on the roof at 6 am, but this……..
i dont like mockingbirds
We’ve recently moved to central Florida and have fallen in love with the mockingbird. We enjoy their antics and their sometimes hilarious songs day or night (hint: sponge earplugs work GREAT on those nights where the songs don’t put you to sleep). However, I remember hearing something about mockingbirds laying their eggs in other bird’s nests to have them fed/raised by another species. Also, if there are other birds/eggs in the nest when they hatch, they are always larger than the original eggs and the new baby mockingbirds will push the smaller birds out of their nest and to their doom. Any truth to this or is it an “old bird’s tale”? No matter; would still love the songsters anyway.
Christine, we used to be plagued by a bachelor mockingbird and we live in the Bronx. This lonely soul would moan all night long from an antenna on the roof across the street from our bedroom. Fortunately, this only lasted a couple of years…
Martha, mockingbirds are not nest or brood parasites, as birds that perpetrate such cruel parenting procedures are called. Cowbirds and Old World cuckoos do exactly what you describe but the mockingbird takes care of its own kids.
Mike! That was not a comforting message to Martha nor me….a couple of years????? Does this soulful mating call go on only in the spring??? Please say yes! I did notice that I didn’t see them from January until April…where did they go…. Give us HOPE please!
I mean Christine, not Martha.
Jan, I admit I did exaggerate a bit. While the unrequited male did return to his post over a couple of years, his complaints were limited to a few weeks of breeding season each year!
My husband and I were just enjoying (and trying to count) the numerous calls from the mocking bird perched in our persimmon tree, when I wondered, does the mocking bird have a call of its own, or does it only mimic? And if it only mimics, no wonder they have so spend so much energy trying to find a mate! Not only does he have to find a female, but apparently, he needs to find the correct selection of calls to woo her!
We love it (but, of course, haven’t lost any sleep over it!). My favorite is when he mimics the spring peepers (frogs) in our pond. What a fascinating bird. And what a creative God! 
Mockingbirds do eat gardens. Over many years they have feasted on my tomatoes, sometimes destroying an entire plant. They have also pecked on my peaches causing damage. I like them as an interesting and entertaining bird, but they need to learn better manners.
AHHHH peace and quiet!! Our bachelor mocking bird FINALLY got some! lol. I have to admit, it was weird not to hear him for the first time, but my daughter didn’t miss him one bit….the longest night of sleep yet for all of us in like a MONTH!
Now we have a robin that likes to sit on the window frame of our truck and look at himself in the sideview mirrors and “releive himself” all down both front doors of our Explorer!! Gotta love nature!
There has been a Mockingbird in a tree across the road for a week and, yes, its non-stop singing. I have actually felt guilty at times for needing a little break from it but then I remind myself that God gave each bird, animal and human certain characteristics needed for their species - singing is the one for the Mockingbird…I can only be grateful that I don’t have to climb an 80-ft. tall tree and sing for my mate!
My son rescued a baby Mockingbird from our dog about three weeks ago. I have cared for it and it has grown nice and strong. As soon as I thought it might be able to fly and be cared for by its parents I let it go. However, it comes back to me. Three days ago it came back to my shoulder while I was in the backyard and begged for food. I took it back in. Yesterday I tried again and it flew high up on our Norfolk pine then onto a Bengamina and finally disappeared. It was gone for about seven hours and then came back. Today, it did the same thing. It keeps on coming back. What can I do?
I am an elementary school teacher that has a second job working midnights on the weekend. This second job has afforded me the opportunity to hear, for the first time, the lovely song of the mockingbird. I love nature and I feel so blessed to hear the beautiful song of this remarkable bird every weekend. He sings all night long and I think it is just lovely!! I love listening to his many different sounds and I will be sad when he finds a mate and sings no more. God is so good to have given me the opportunity to hear such a wonderful song! I would love to have him live in my front yard tree. Then I could listen to him all night and perhaps all day long!
i’m looking for native american legends concerning the mockingbird. specifically legends from the southeast (louisiana, arkansas, mississippi, arkansas, tennessee).
know any?
We had the new neighbor move in a week and a half ago. I am 50 years old and have never experienced such a LOUD neighbor! He sits in my tall Holly Bush outside my bedroom window and loves to wake me up. I think my body is adjusting to the sounds, I seem to sleep through it more now. At first I was totally going crazy with the LOUD chirps. But after reading so many websites (this is a great one!) I decided to get a good attitude about the bird, I named him Mockie. Spent about 30 minutes taking photos of him this morning.
After reading this site, I feel sorry for the poor male that does not have a girlfriend
there are many mockingbirds in my yard. i live in southeastern nc. the mockingbirds dive from the trees and bop my cat and dogs on the head. i have also seen them chase squirrils and other types af birds. have you ever hear of this behavior? of course,i can understand the mockingbirds not liking my cat.
Maria, your bird seems to be getting along ok. If you’re going to feed it, make sure you offer it something other than bread, which just isn’t nutritious enough.
Mike, I’m a Bronx boy so I can’t help you out there!
GiGi, if your pictures are good, I’d be happy to add one to this page.
Diane, sounds like the mockingbirds are protecting their nest. This behavior will persist while the chicks are vulnerable. Blackbirds and grackles can also be incredibly aggressive this time of year!
I came across this website while researching mockingbirds. I’m enjoying the posts, and glad to learn I’m not the only one to love these interesting birds.
A young mockingbird flew into my back door and lay stunned for several minutes before flying off. Since it was a regular visitor, along with a sibling and parent, I was sad when it didn’t return. But it did show up a couple of days later, obviously damaged. I believe it broke its beak. It eats, drinks, flies some, but falls over, walks in circles and rests on its tail. I expected it to either die or fall victim, but its been two weeks and (Special) Ed continues to hang on. He falls into the water dish I put in the ground for all birds, doesn’t land gracefully when he does fly, but fights for food and hangs out under the feeder where the suet is. I’ve taken to picking out suet to fall near him, and he will run (as best he can) over to me when he hears and sees what I’m doing. I did read that they eat fruit and insects, so I’m off to change the suet I’m putting out.
I’ve considered trying to put him out of his misery, but I hesitate to judge his quality of life when he continues to show interest in eating and drinking. I can only hope he isn’t in pain. It breaks my heart to watch him.
Very interesting information on mockingbirds. I was curious about why they sang at night and here I found out it’s the bachelor birds who are singing enthusiastically all night long.
Interestingly, our local mockingbirds have learned to mimic my Jenday conure, who shrieks in a discordant and extremely loud voice when he wants attention. I first heard a mockingbird mimicking “Chili Pepper” early one morning as I went out to pick up the paper. Since Chili was still in “bed”, covered up in his cage, I was a bit confused. I quickly realized it was a mockingbird, who had learned his shriek, albeit at slightly reduced volume to account for the glass window he hears them through. It was amazing!
Since that day a couple of months ago, the first mockingbird appears to have passed on the new “song” to others in the area. We observed what had to be a young mockingbird learning songs from an older, much louder bird several houses away.
I really love these birds despite the disruption to sleep they sometimes cause!
To all of you that are having a problem with aggresive and loud mockinbirds, try an water gun! It works great. We have 3 mockingbirds in our yard who constantly used to fuss loudly at us on our patio and swoop down at our cats as they walked around. But we use a water gun that shoots about 30 feet, and now, all we have to do is pick it up and they fly away. It’s great! They are smart and learn quick.
I am one of the people who are lucky enough to have a mockingbird outside of my window and be a light sleeper. I’m about to lose it on this bird. The houses here are so cheaply made that it sounds like I’m right next to it. The most I’ve done was squirt at the tree with the squirt bottle I train my puppy with. That quieted him for a little while. My neighbors suggested putting pepper in the 60ft tree. We are desperate. I know they are protected but how far can we go to attempt to quiet or noisy neighbor? and what time of day do they normally stop? i need to know so i can take a nap. It has gotten really bad for me because I am bipolar and lack of sleep is one of my triggers. I want to hurt everyone. PLEASE HELP ME!!! I’ll do anything. Even if it means climbing into a 60ft tree to put pepper in it.
P.S. My bird’s favorite sound to copy is a car alarm. thats real fun at 3 am.
Sophia: Mockingbirds, like almost all birds in North America, are protected, so don’t do anything rash. Your mockingbird is just desperate to find a female, and mockingbirds don’t have personal ads!
Putting pepper in the tree will not work, so save yourself the effort. Earplugs are probably your best bet until the lonely bachelor finds a mate!
We live in Las Vegas, Nevada. We have a mocking bird that has sits on top of a telephone pole in our backyard and gives an amazing concert for us every day. Our favorite is a meowing cat!!!! Our grandkids love it.
Thank you for the answer to my burning question! Just when I started opening the windows at night in No. California, we got a Mockingbird. I didn’t get why he starts singing exactly at midnight. Now, I’ll have to see what time he gives up. Only a few weeks, then?
Mockingbirds have a nest in our crepe myrtle and dive on our cats. We just saw a pair of them chasing our emu. Luckily, she can outrun them.
My favorite mockingbird sounds are from a few that we experienced while living in California - the sound of seagulls as they fly away, the beeps that the streelight timers make to aid in crossing the street and, yes, a cat’s meow. Our new mocker in Florida is not quite as talented, but he is persistent. We’re verging on 6 weeks of almost constant singing! Any idea on how long this can last until he either mates or gives up?
Hi
I have a pair of bluebirds nesting in my bluebird house…and also have a mockingbird that stays near by……..will the mockingbird try to attack the bluebird eggs or babies?
Janet, so far as I know, mockingbirds are not nest predators. The mocker should not be able to fit into the nest box anyway and as far as I understand it, the young bluebirds biggest enemies are mites and other parasites.
I found out yesterday that the birds that have been terrorizing my housecat are mockingbirds. There are two of them and they dive bomb every window where my cat sits. They hit the screen, they hover outside the window, they shriek at her. I have never seen anything like this. It is as if they are mocking her, (hence the name mocking bird) because she can’t get them. I wanted to kill them.
Now that I know that they are seasonal, I will try to accept them but it is so sad to see my cat cowering in fear.
Mary, your mournful bachelor should be coming to terms with his lonely fate any day now. Hang in there!
Angela, all birds, particularly those with young in the nest, have every reason to fear housecats. Please keep that cat indoors!
Mike, she is an indoor cat. That is what is so sad. They are terrorizing her for no reason and they seem to be enjoying it!
I came here wondering what was singing so beautifully after midnight in Northern Nevada…
Seemed like a mocking bird, but I didn’t know they were here.
They are.
Sweet little chirpy noises here so far.
Evidently our horny young male hasn’t gotten too much of lawn mowers & weed whackers!
Had mocking birds in So. Cal. that were blustrous with mechanical sounds.
I posted my comment on the wrong page before.
I have aggressive mockingbirds in my yard. They had nests earlier in the year, but theyve all hatched,I think, and now its like theyre all juvenile delinquents chasing each other, buzzing peoples heads, chasing other birds away.
It was suggested to me to put rubber snakes in the trees, and i heard mothballs.
Its rough when you cant go out the front door without being attacked, or at least looking around to make sure its safe.
My wife is fuming, even though I promised her that I didnt put them up to it.
Im not hearing the singing as much as the fussing sounds, any help would be appreciated.
I like the idea of the supersoaker watergun,but geez going out the door with a gun seems a bit much. David
A more humane method for ridding your yard of Mockingbirds? While spending time at my daughter’s home in Florida, we had our first nocturnal mockingbird experience. We enjoyed his first few hours of constant singing, but soon became weary from it. That is when my daughter placed her computer speakers in an open window, found a screeching Blue Jay sound file on the internet, and cranked up the volume. No more Mockingbird!
That’s brilliant, Lori. Thanks for sharing!
“Our” Mockingbird couple had it’s chick hatch a few weeks ago. It was fed regularly and I have seen it fly a little. But all of a sudden, the parents (or Dad) disappeared and it’s no longer being fed. Is it because it is time for the baby to “leave the nest”? It cries all day because it is hungry. Should I feed it? Thanks.
can i have the Mockingbird song or how there sound like please asap for my talktime in school
thanks
We have Mockingbirds in the holly bush right outside the front door. At first we thought it was wonderful because we had just witnessed Robins being born and sent off earlier. But these birds are nasty! They have swooped down on my husband while he was watering the lawn, and pecked out my dog’s behind just for standing in the front yard. We can’t even sit on the front porch anymore. I don’t want to hurt them, but at the same time, this is our home. The other day as my husband was leaving, he asked me to cover him. Needless to say once the eggs hatch the holly bush is being cut down.
Oops, the Mockingbirds did not peck “out” my dog’s behind, they pecked “at” her behind.
Thank goodness for this site and for the wisdom of this particular crowd. Nearly all my mocker questions have been answered in your recent posts and replies. Hard to believe that I’ve reached the age of retirement and am experiencing my first sleepless mockingbird season. Something that still mystifies me: What effect on females of other types does all this mimicry have? Generally I’m against personifying other species, but I really do wonder what goes through the “mind” of an eager female when she finds out our antenna-sitter is all song and no pay-off.
This has been our first night of sleep in three weeks.
Mike, I am sitting here at my window and this mockingbird keeps walking accross my lawn and spreading its wings. What is the significance of the spreading of its wings? Just checking out your site and it is great!
Mike, I live in Florida and have many mockingirds living in our yard and in the preserve behind our house. We have an umbrella tree that a pair of mockingbirds built their nest in only a few feet from the ground. There were 4 eggs and 3 of the chicks hatched. Both parents were very attentive and the chicks seemed like they were doing fine. The chicks were about 3 days old when they just disappeared. I saw them at dusk and the next day they were gone. They didn’t have any feathers and they are not on the ground around the tree. Do mockingbirds relocate their young? Or do you think a predator got them? I saw no sign of violence in the nest or around the tree. Thanks for any info. I hope they are ok.
A lot of people kept awake by mockingbirds… I came a-googling information on why the friggin’ bird wouldn’t shut up. Get a Sleep Mate sound machine. I’ve had one for over a year and it’s fantastic, not just for birds, but snoring, loud ass neighbors, etc.
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I am in Florida and have a pair of mockingbirds building a nest in front of our house right now! I am excited, since I believe this same pair tried last year but the eggs either fell out or were no good and they threw them out.
Okay, which of you guys sent your dad-blasted mockingbird to California? It showed up about five weeks ago and I was not happy! I know from the past how aggressive they can be. This midnight singing is not pleasant. I thought that the crows, seagulls, pigeons and ducks were awful since they have terrible sounding voices, fight with each other, and leave dirty messes everywhere. But at least they waited for the sun to come up!!!!! The sparrows wouldn’t be too bad if they came in a pair or two, but they come in groups of fifty to one hundred so their voices are high pitched and piercing to the ear drums. Aren’t there any song birds that actually sing during the afternoon hours with a pleasant voice? I want my hummingbirds back!!! The darn mockingbird chased them away.
It is nice to know I am not alone.
Mike, did you ever find any native stories?
Haven’t seen too much about mockingbird attacks on humans, but we’ve got a major problem with it here at my workplace! Employees and clients are getting constantly swooped down on and sqwaked at. We consulted a local expert several weeks ago about what to do, and she said the bird family would be gone within a week or two. Which was true, kind of. One bird (or it could be a different one I suppose) has stuck around and is now worse than ever. Plus there are new babies now. I’m afraid someone will get hurt! Should we be afraid that it will actually peck someone or will it just continue to swoop? Is there anything we can do?
Hey Mike,
I live on Long Island, and there is a loud bird that I’ve seen each morning who swoops down at my cat! My cat is an indoor cat, but I like to take him out in the mornings to let him eat the grass. As soon as Moonie (my cat) comes out of the house, the bird appears and will land on my clothesline or the gutter of the house, chirping noisily. Then, he will swoop down toward Moonie, as though trying to peck at him. There is another stray cat in my yard, but the bird doesn’t bother that cat.
Could Moonie have inadvertently gone near a nest? Moonie is declawed, so he’s not able to climb trees. Any ideas? (It’s actually fun to watch this).
Donna
Elmont, Long Island, NY
@Donna: Mockingbirds are very territorial and are known to torment cats if they perceive the cat as being in their territory. Seeing as Moonie is an indoor cat and only gets supervised trips outside (and let me thank you for that) odds are Moonie has not stumbled upon a nest, but is just being targeted for being in the mockingbird’s lawn!
Yes, how long do the mocking birds nest and care for their babies. We have a nest in a hanging basket that is on my daughters grave. Adn in a couple weeks they will putting up her head stone. And I need to know
could we move the hanging baskt close by to another hanging pole.
God truly blessed has us with the surprise nest. my mother seen the parent bird fly into the hanging basket. And what is so precious is that my parents have a mocking bird that they call Connie who is my daughter that passed away last year. so this has blessed our family for God to send us this sweet nest to watch and soon witness seeing baby birds.
God bless you website
If the young have hatched and been around for a bit they should have fledged and left the nest by the time a couple of weeks have passed.
And though it is against federal law to mess with birds’ nests I don’t imagine that moving the hanging plant to another pole would draw the attention of federal agents if the young haven’t fledged by the time the headstone is installed. Just make sure that the new location is near good cover so the young can have somewhere to hide once they leave!
Our condolences on your loss.
I guess it’s a relief to learn that others are being tormented by restless, lonely, noisy, mockingbirds, shrieking all day and night.
I’ll have to find out where to buy a water gun. Other than earplugs, that seems the only other solution.
I came here to learn more about the melodious fellow who’s been singing at the top of his lungs from the top of one of our redwood trees. I was pretty sure by his markings that he was a mockingbird, but I knew for certain when in the midst of his series of differing but lovely notes he’d squawk like a scrub jay (of which we have many around here). He’s very entertaining, but did keep my daughter awake a couple nights until he moved from near her window to a much taller tree behind the house. He flashes his wings with a jerky sort of skip-hop-fly-land thing every once in a while, too.
[...] baby bird, gulf coast, mockingbird, wildlife | Lowell came in this morning with this little baby mockingbird he found hopping across the road with no parents in sight, no nest in sight, and on his way to [...]
Just the other night I was kept awake by a nocturnal mockingbird. I was very interested to learn why these birds do this. I learned from this site why this is happening. This bird sang from midnight well until sunrise. This also happened a few years ago and my mother and I were baffled! Now I know that the bird in my yard is not cuckoo!! This is a very informative site!
To Diane Capuozo…
Same thing has been happening with the Mockingbirds nested in my Ficus trees (perhaps even the Torrey Pine and eucalyptus tree). They have been making loud , aggressive noises all day into the night…as long as my cat, Tonto, is lying outside. Then, they swoop down and poke at him. I don’t know if it paralyses him, but he just lays there and takes it. He has not tried to enter their nests as he is very old. It does disturb me quite a bit as I have never heard a song from them…only this loud squawking and then aggressive behavior.
I think the woman who said to get a water gun is smart. What I have done is when I hear them, I go outside and walk near my cat so that they won’t attack him. They seem to have calmed down in the last few days, but were a real nuisance for a week or so. Perhaps, they had little ones in their nests and were just being proactive with Tonto.
Jennifer,
the same thing happened to us! We were worried that the baby birds were killed by an owl or something. Now I wonder if this is a normal thing….I hope so! They were really cute.
Kim
There are a lot of the same kind of bird outside my window in Southern California. I tried looking it up and the bird it looked most like was a Mockingbird. But the one I just saw has a light colored beak — perhaps a light yellow. Can Mockingbirds have light colored beaks? All the pictures I’ve seen they have dark beaks.
The only other difference I’ve noticed with these birds is they are a little less plump in the chest than the prototypical Mockingbird. But I just figured they were thin Mockingbirds. Maybe they are something else?
Thanks!
Thank you for the wonderful website; we have had several babies in a nest over our carport, and have waiting for them to fledge. The Mom has been very attentive, but the babies seem to have become very separated when they left the nest. We found a very young one (didn’t seem to be ready to leave the nest yet?) in a bush, while others were in a nearby tree. Today, we found one sitting on the sidewalk, and moved it to the bushes for better cover. Sadly, I also found a dead one on the lawn; it appears it might have been the really underdeveloped one (and a cat got to it). Anyway, I’m happy to say that there are still chick sounds in the back and front yards, and Mom is still pretty busy. So, hopefully, there will be at least a couple of survivors! If found, I’m told orphans should be taken to a licensed rehabilitation center for songbirds, and that we aren’t to attempt to raise them. News to me, but I was glad to be informed about the requirement. Best to all, Christina
I am surrounded by mockingbirds most of the year and occasionally I become a foster/adoptive parent to an injured baby bird. This was the case recently when I became Sweet P’s mother. The parents refused to care for him after my dog picked it up in the yard. He was underdeveloped but did not appear injured, even by the dog. I gave the parents every opportunity to care for this little guy but after 7 hours of no food, I took him in. I feed him meal worms the first 48 hours along with Dole diced apple. I found much great information on the web in regards to feeding and feed my Sweet P a diet of Fancy Feast white chicken and egg souffle with garden greens( spoon pestalled) combined with organic wheat germ and smushed diced apple,
as well as fruit all fortified with vitamins. He thrived on this diet.
I discovered too late however, my Sweet P had Avian Pox and Two Months
after his arrival in my life he succumbed to this, but not without a fight on both our parts. Please express to all mockingbird lovers who have the occasional baby drop into their lives to know the name of a local wildlife certified vet, that can identify this deadly virus before it starts its terrible course and maybe instruct you on supportive care on a “vet level”. I still miss my Sweet P’s Barking like my dogs as I entered the house. Thank you for your website.
Chris
Our class is starting To Kill a Mockingbird, and this website is helpful. :]
theese mocking birds are so cool i wtch them all day every single day there just so intresting!
Just a few moments ago I saw a mockingbird. It was in a tree singing away and then landed on the ground within feet of me. They seem so intelligent and they know you are watching them– like they want to show off or interact in a way with you.
Mockingbirds are very intelligent, yesterday morning I thought there was a Hawk in one of my trees, had all the birds screaming in their own way. Turned out to be a Mockingbird imitating a hawk. It sure got rid of the grouping of Black Birds that had taken over my oak tree. I thought it was histerically funny. Mockingbirds do like a little cautious interaction with humans from time to time, especially after their young have matured. They are quite entertaining!
Keep Watching!!!
I live in a small town in a rural area, and there is a mockingbird that spends a large amount of it’s time flying and singing between my neighbor’s house and mine. He/she doesn’t sing at night, but is unstoppable during the day. That bird has got to be worn out when it goes to bed! It seems that the mockingbird sings it’s best when a human is watching the bird. For two years, this one has been a very good neighbor! This bird provided the motivation to seek your site, which I find is excellent . . . loaded with good info!
P.S. - I’m in eastern Virginia.
Mockingbirds near my mom’s house mock hawks and eagles all night long. When I lived there, they mocked my alarm clock sounds. They’re pretty neat little things. The other day when I was getting some stuff out of my car at midnight, a few of them dropped down to the ground and started making hawk noises, and then followed me to the sidewalk and watched when I went inside.
I swear that the mockingbird in my courtyard uses a “mike” to give his middle of the night concerts. His voice is so very loud (and beautiful). I think that if I were to be re-born it would have to be a mockingbird since the variety of song is so vast. How could you ever be bored?
I have personal favorites that are repeated but sometimes it takes quite a while which further impedes my sleep since I wait and wait, waking up my partner to hear what I happen to think is quite funny (he doesn’t see the humor). One is the mockingbird’s rendition of theme from “Rawhide” …..Rollin’….rollin’….rollin…keep those doggies rollin….’” and then he seems to be saying, “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, Cheese” I lay awake at night and wait for them to come around again.
I have heard other mockingbirds sing “Rawhide” and “cheeseburger.” It would be interesting to me to know if other mockingbird audiences find some of the same “songs” universal.
Charleen.
one fine morning i walked outside and began having a conversation with a mocking bird. I lovethose darn critters….
i live in canada and i have never seen a mockingbird or herd an mockingbird in my life but im only 15 and a half and my god would i ever love to experience the heart touching sound of a mockingbird. are there mockingbirds in canada?
Hi Alley,
I just checked the Cornell website and it looks like mockingbirds do come to southern Canada across your entire country. Good luck in seeing one. There will be no doubt in your mind when you hear one since all the different calls come from one bird and the sounds change quite quickly. In flight, there is a flash of white in the wings.
Charleen from Long Island.
hey charlene,
thanks for letting me know, i will forsure keep my eyes open for them then, i cant wait to see my first mockingbird, im so excited. i guess im going to have to wait a few months now since it is winter here almost in canada. ill keep a look out for the white winged birds…thanks alot for letting me know though im so gald to hear i wont have to travel to see those beautiful creatures.
alley from mb. canada
Just moved downtown San Antonio to a condo that has a small enclosed patio. A mockingbird visited several times. So, I now put 10 raisins out every morning. Mr/Ms Mockingbird appears right away. Most days by sundown, the raisins are all gone. Am trying to determine if this is a guy or a gal… No problem with the singing. God has been kind to give us a contented bird apparently!
I’m doing a 4 page research paper on mockinbirds in highschool. And i didn’t expect to enjoy it. But now that i know way more about this bird. I would love to go visit a southern state to see them!
[:
I have several feeders and a birdbath set up on a small balcony off my apartment. For the past year, I enjoyed the daily visits of several types of birds, but mostly doves in the late fall. However, since November, a mockingbird has completely taken over. He dive-bombs any dove that tries to land on the balcony, and the doves can’t eat anything. They have stopped trying, for the most part, and the mockingbird has the place all to himself. I am so disappointed to not get to see the other birds for over two months. Is there anything I can do? How much longer should I expect to put up with this situation?
Janice, you’ll find out if the mocker is a male or female come spring!
Jessica, I’m really glad to hear that. You don’t need to live in a southern state to see a mockingbird though. I spotted my first one in Massachusetts!
Cynthia, to be honest, I’ve never heard of a mockingbird bullying other birds at a feeder. That sounds more like grackle or jay behavior. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
We live in San Antonio TX and have had what we think is a young male mockingbird banging into our windows all day long since September! He should have broken his beak by now I would think, or perhaps has caused himself some brain damage! I’m sure he is seeing a reflection, but in ALL of our windows??? Is there any way to stop this type of behavior?
@Chris: You might want to try stickers on the some windows to break up reflections. That, or put up screens until he goes away…
I live in Bryant, AR. I made some homemade suet that my mockingbird loves. Other birds like it, too. But, one of my mockingbirds has taken over my whole backyard. He/she will allow birds on the ground, but if birds light on the seed feeder, he dives at them. There is one bird allowed: a brown thrasher who resembles a mockingbird and is a bit larger than the mocker. I have a two arm shepherd’s hook hanger for my suet and seeds. The suet is on one and the seeds on the other. So I moved the seeds 50′ away. It did not matter. I have a large backyard about 200′x50′deep. He has claimed the entire thing. Now I cannot watch my other birds.
I did move the seed feeder to the front of the house in a dogwood tree among the branches and the other birds are feeding there. But I cannot watch them while I watch TV. And that is half of feeding the birds–watching them come.
Once a mockingbird claims a territory, how long does he keep that same territory? Am I doomed to never have a variety of birds in my backyard ever again?
Like Thelma, I am still having the same trouble with a mockingbird that has exclusively chosen my balcony feeding station. He has lightened up slightly — he actually let a few doves eat a couple of seeds this weekend before dive-bombing them. I remember that he did the same thing last year but not to this extent. If anyone knows how to convince a mockingbird to relocate, I would be happy for any advice. I also miss seeing the other bird varieties.
I live in Corpus Christi Texas and we have a Mockingbird that has completely taken over the feeders and terrorizes the back yard dwellers. We have about 10 pairs of red birds, several green jay couples, doves, red tipped blacks etc. This mocking bird won’t let anybody eat. When he first arrived we enjoyed watching him stalk insects in the yard, but now he seems to eat out of the feeders exclusively. I am going to try the watergun trick. Thanks for all the good stories and tips to help manage the aggressive mocking birds.
I like the blue jay call noise broadcasting to scare the bird away. I have watched the pecking order of birds. The Jay is the largest and beats out all others.
Things might be looking up as far as aggressive mockingbirds in my area (South Carolina). I had seven doves on my balcony Saturday. They were able to eat all they wanted and the mockingbird did not come at all. That was a first for three months!! Later, a couple of finches came and were able to eat for a few minutes before being chased away. Then on Sunday afternoon, three doves chased a juvenile mockingbird away when he challenged them. I haven’t seen the daddy mockingbird for a couple of days and am wondering if our resident neighborhood hawk took him out.
I also have a mockingbird “Bully”. I live in Western Maryland and like to feed the birds. This mockingbird took over my suet feeder early in the fall and kept the other birds away. I wasn’t concerned because he didn’t bother the birds at the other feeders. Just this weekend the mockingbird has decided that no one can feed in my yard. Be it squirrel or bird, no one is allowed anywhere near the feeders. I leave the seed heads on the Blackeyed Susans for the Finches and they are dive bombed by the bully. This behavior started this weekend when the mockingbird started to sing in the very early morning, (5:00 am). I have a shepherds hook where the feeders hang and I moved the suet feeder about 30 feet away. The mockingbird will feed at the suet and then come back to the shepherds hook and protect his territory. Is this part of their mating behavior? Do I put the suet feeder away for awhile? Hope someone has some answers.
Donna, when I was searching for answers about this, I found out that mockingbirds will do this whenever seeds and berries are not plentiful (like in the winter). Even if they don’t eat from a certain feeding station, they will protect it with their lives once they have decided that it is their own personal property. My source said that they will let up on this behavior when spring comes. I tried completely removing all my feeders for several weeks and as soon as I put them up again, the mockingbird was there. Until he decides to let up, there’s not a whole lot you can do (although like previously mentioned, I have heard that a watergun may work). Meanwhile, get used to seeing a whole lot of “Bully”. I completely sympathize with you!!
I live in central Florida and a Mockingbird, obviously a male has taken up residence in my nieghbors backyard, and been keeping her up all night for about a week now. We don’t hear the bird next door but our 9 year old Rat Terrier DOES! He has had us up barking all night long. We couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden he had taken up barking at all hours of the night until my Huspand spotted the Mockingbird in our backyard yesterday and my tired neighbor called me today to ask me if the bird had been keeping us up too. At least I know now that my dog isn’t crazy, I thought maybe he was getting doggy alzheimers or something! I think that maybe the only thing worse than a mocking bird keeping you up all night is a dog barking all night long from INside your house! This website has been a great resource. It’s good to know that this should only last another week or so, hopefully! If not I’m gonna tell my neighbor about the bluejay screech sounds through the computer speakers. Great idea.
I LIVE IN MASPETH, QUEENS NY & I’VE BEEN REALLY ENJOYING A VERY SPECIAL MOCKINGBIRD!!!! IT’S FUNNY-B/C FOR AT LEAST A YEAR-MY HUSBAND AND I KEPT SEEING THIS LOVELY GRAY BIRD-AND WE WERE WONDERING WHAT KIND OF BIRD IT WAS-ESPECIALLY CUZ IT SANG SO BEAUTIFULLY. THROUGH RESEARCHING I LEARNED THAT THIS LOVELY BIRD IS A MOCKINGBIRD. IT USED TO “NEVER” GO INTO OUR BIRD FEEDER-IT (I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER IT’S A MALE/FEMALE-I HATE TO SAY “IT”-SORRY)-USED TO JUST SIT ON THE FENCE EVERY NOW AND THEN-AND WATCH ALL THE OTHER BIRDS FEAST ON THE MIX OF SEEDS. THEN IN THE END OF DECEMBER OR EARLY JANUARY-IT STARTED TO VISIT THE FEEDER……AND HE/SHE GRADUALLY VISITED MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY. THEN IN JANUARY-IT BECAME EXTREMELY TERRITORIAL-BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT A WEEK OR 2. NOW IT’S LESS MOODY AND SHARES MORE. THIS BIRD IS REALLY REALLY SPECIAL…….OUR FEEDER IS 3 FEET FROM OUR DOOR-AND LOTS OF TIMES WHEN I OPEN THE DOOR AND DO MY WITTLE BIRDIE CALL 4 THE BIRDS TO EAT—THE MOCKINGBIRD FLIES OVER AND LANDS ON OUR FENCE-AND LOOKS AT ME–AND HOPS ON THE TOP OF THE FENCE RIGHT ONTO OUR FEEDER-AND EATS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. IT STAYS FOR A GOOD FEW SECONDS–NEVER LONGER THAN ABOUT A MINUTE. I SAY HI IN A GENTLE WAY-AND IT DOESN’T FLY AWAY—I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION W/ THIS BIRD. NO OTHER BIRD DOES THIS W/ ME! WE HAVE A SHIT LOAD OF MOURNING DOVES-MANY SPARROWS-A FEW FINCHES & SEVERAL BLACK BIRDS……BLUE JAYS & CARDINALS. THIS MOCKINGBIRD HAS DEFINITELY MADE THE CONNECTION THAT I’M THE BIRDIE LADY SUPPLYING THE FOOD-FRESH FILTERED WATER-(TLC)-AND SO MANY TIMES WHEN I DO MY BIRDIE CALL-IT EITHER COMES OUT OF NOWHERE-AND LANDS ON THE TREE CLOSEST TO THE FEEDER-AND COMES DOWN TO SEE ME—-OR IT’S ALREADY ON THE NEARBY TREE-AND JUST COMES DOWN TO SEE ME. WE HAVE SEVERAL (ADORABLE) CATS THAT ALSO “VISIT” OUR BACKYARD—THEY COME AND STARE AT THE FEEDER!! A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO-A CAT SAT RIGHT INSIDE THE PLANTER BOX-NEAR THE FENCE & FEEDER—-I KNOCKED ON THE WINDOW-CUZ I KNEW ITS INTENTION!! THE CAT WOULDN’T BUDGE! I OPENED THE DOOR-AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR-IT STILL DIDN’T BUDGE! THEN-THE MOCKINGBIRD CAME TO THE FENCE LOOKED AT ME-AND THE CAT!!!!! I SPOKE GENTLY AND SAID—LOOK!! THERE’S A CAT!! THE MOCKINGBIRD PAUSED-ON THE FENCE-WHILE THE CAT STARED AT IT-THEN THE MOCKINGBIRD ANALYZED THE SITUATION–THEN QUICKLY-HOPPED OVER TO THE FEEDER-GRABBED A CHUNK OF ORGANIC FLAX BREAD AND FLEW OFF! I WENT BACK INSIDE–AND THE CAT STAYED!! SEVERAL MINUTES LATER–WHILE I WAS WATCHING THROUGH THE WINDOW–AGAIN THE MOCKINGBIRD CAME TO THE FEEDER W/ THE CAT “STARING”—YET-THE MOCKINGBIRD HAD NO FEAR! IT TOOK ANOTHER CHUNK O’ BREAD AND FLEW OFF. THE CAT WAS BORED-IT ENDED UP PLAYING W/ THE FLIES!!! I HAVE 1 QUESTION——AT LEAST 4 TIMES-I SAW THE MOCKINGBIRD STICK OUT SOMETHING BROWN FROM ITS MOUTH. IT WASN’T VOMITTING-OR CHOKING. WE JUST HAVE THIS 1 MOCKINGBIRD–THERE ARE NO BABIES TO FEED. 4 TIMES IT STUCK OUT THIS BROWN THING–I WONDER IF IT’S THE M. BIRD’S TONGUE?? IT CAN’T BE THROWING UP BREAD!! I WONDER IF HE/SHE IS DEHYDRATED….THERE’S FRESH WATER RIGHT BY THE FEEDER-I ALWAYS PUT FRESH WATER OUT. I SUPPOES IT’S A TONGUE-CUZ I KNOW BIRDS HAVE TONGUES–BUT I CAN’T FIND (ON LINE) WHAT SHAPE/COLOR THEIR TONGUES ARE
I want to know if Mocking bird endangered. And how many of them are left.
Thanks, Chris!
Chloe, I can’t even read your comment because of all the caps. It hurts my head. But your enthusiasm is incredible!
Kassandra, some species of mockingbird such as the rare island birds are endangered. The more well-known birds like the Northern Mockingbird are thriving.
Just to give you an update, Our lonely Male mocking bird has been quite for about a week now. Sure enough a Female heard him and they are living very happily and quitely in my neighbors tree. Thanks again for all the advise here.
i’m seriously going to go ballistic on these mockingbirds.
i do not understand why people say they sing. the sounds i’ve heard are anything but songs. just spine jarring squaking. so loud, day and night. don’t these birds sleep at all? any what’s up with them attacking cats and dogs? i thought cats love to eat birds? alright, so these birds are protected, but if the neighbor’s cat walks by with one of these guys in his mouth, i’m looking the other way…
I really enjoyed your article, and just had to read all of the comments. It amazes me that people are distressed with the sound of Mockingbirds. When I think of the sounds that drive me nuts its the ones made by man. I found it interesting that many who could not stand the songs of Mockingbirds lived in big cities like NY. Can people be so out of tune with nature that birds are more offensive than the sounds of traffic, trains and planes?
I really enjoyed all the stories of all the sounds mockingbirds mimicked. Perhaps what struck me the most was the mimic of the ringtone which caused a person to pick up a phone.
The antics of mockingbirds are fun to watch. I have seem them harass dogs, cats and even bald eagles (And I have a picture of that http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynchburgvirginia/2656644832/). They are quite brave little birds.
Later tonight, I will be posting one of my many pictures of a Northern Mockingbird. They are such good posers and camera hams.
Our local “mocker” started singing for the season last weekend. It was great to hear him again but even better is that he is staying a few houses away this year so we can enjoy his musical stylings from a further distance than right outside our bedroom window!
I live in a suburb in SE metro Phoenix, Arizona. A male bachelor Northern Mockingbird has taken up residence in the neighbor’s 40 foot tree. Unfortunately, our bedrooms are located on the the side of the house nearest to the tree. The bird is extremely loud, begins activity around midnight, and chirps a series of six different sounds, usually strung together in three or four chirps per sound.
The chirps are so repetitive and precise that, at first, my wife and I thought the neighbor had bought some mechanical bird chirping device and left it on. I went over to the tree (at 1am) and started talking loud enough that any ordinary bird would stop, but there was no break in the chirping. Then I stood directly under the tree and the noise stopped. But as soon as I walked away, the noise started again. Surely, a mechanical bird noise maker wouldn’t have a motion detector that stopped the chirps when motion was detected. I walked under the tree a couple more times. Each time, the chirps would stop and then start up again as soon as I walked away.
My wife and I were perplexed. Finally, I decided to give the tree a good shake. The chirping stopped, even after I walked away. Mystery solved… this was no bird device gone crazy, we were cursed by the bachelor mockingbird. The chirping temporarily stopped, but in the midst of the trial and error, we pissed off the neighbor’s five chihuahuas who were now barking up a storm. I’m not sure which noise is worse when you just can’t fall asleep. Time to have a strong drink and then crank up the humidifier which might dull the barking and chirping that assaults my senses. Perhaps in the morning, I’ll check on any last minute deals to Hawaii. Or maybe I should take my plastic garden owl and chuck it up in the tree to see if I can fool the bachelor into thinking he has found a mate.
Hi mike I am doing a reasearch paper on Moching birds if you could give me some moore info it would help
I made some spelling errors in my comment above
I’ve noticed out here in AZ that mockingbirds don’t take no jive from anyone, even cats. I had an outdoor cat at my old house and there was a pair of mickingbirds that nested in the tree outfront (I think it was the same pair year after year, not sure) but they did not take kindly to him being around, they would dive bomb him daily especially during the spring and early summer. I came home one day and there was the poor cat huddled in a ball at the front door with a mockingbird on the left and one on the right each taking turns pecking at him and tearing hair out. My cat must have really ticked them off.
They also would make fun of my niece as she put it. My niece was only 5 or so and loved playing outside and she would always gt hurt and come in crying, and her crying is one of the most annoying loud sounds EVER. Well the mockingbirds started repeating the noise and it seemed that they associated it with her being outside. She started coming in crying saying “The bird is making fun of me”. We’d go outside and as soon as my niece was out there they would start making the same sound she did when she cried. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.
They also picked up the tune of the car alarms on the street and would sing them all the time.
I was out feeding chickins in Maypearl Texas when I heard a chicken clucking on the other side if the fence, I looked and saw a Mockingbird sitting in a tree and the clucking sound was from him.
I’ve been a amatuer biry watching for several years now. I especially enjoy their song when I walking or somewhere just enjoying nature. Lately, I’ve introduced my 6-year old Cocker Spaniel to the visitors. Every morning they’re in the back yard of both neighors and it appears that they are signing to each other. One will fly up and land in the same spot. Is there a nest near by and/or this a mating dance. Last week I came to Las Vegas to visit my grandchildren and this morning was awaken by the signing of a mockingbird. Although not as noisy as home (Oakland, CA) itwas still noticeable to me. I collected my grandchildren and asked them to help me spot the birds. They weren’t interested! I suppose they stay long in Las Vegas because of the heat?
Mocking birds are the most annoying birds on planet earth.
The amateur singing reminds me more of the nonstop bickering of a miserable woman. Painfully piercing to the creative human, only the bland and boring listener may enjoy as they suffer from an absence of excitement in thier life. Much like a determined cricket hiding in your bedroom in the middle of the night, chirping consistantly as you toss and turn while fantasizing the many painful deaths you could bestow upon it, is the mocking bird to the Guld Coast human inhabitant. Ten years of my life on this coast have come and gone. I have failed to find a native who enjoys the company of this feathery earsore. So all who speak kindly of this white striped beast, I invite you to come, come watch them be my feast.
I have a pesky mockingbird outside my bedroom window keeping me awake as I am posting this at 2:34 a.m. This has been going on for the past 3 years about this time of year. I wonder if it is the same fellow. I have gone outside as late as 2 a.m. to shake the bush; holly no less and getting stuck as well. Thank goodness the neighbors didn’t see me. As soon as I leave, he starts up again. Shining a light outside my window shuts him up for a few minutes. What can I do? I am an animal lover and can’t even kill a bug or rat, but I do need my sleep.(not that I would be thinking of such an act)
I live in Florida and on Tuesday we had very windy conditions in the area. Upon leaving work I found a chick (which I believe is a mockingbird) at the wheel of my truck cowering and crying for food. I looked around and saw no parent in site. The parking lot close by had been closed due to construction on a parking gagrage. The closest trees apeared to have no visible signs of nests. I decided to bring it home and care for and try to identify it species. My son and I have been feeding it from a siringe with baby bird formula I purchased at the pet store. It has taken well to our attention but I am wondering how long I must do this before I can release it back to the wild. Also I would like to make sure I am correct in assuming it is a mockingbird.
Any help would be appreciated.
Mike, I have been looking for information on weather a mother mockingbird would move her young in the face of danger. I have a nest outside my window that has had 3 screaming babies in it for the past week or so. Their calls can get a little tiring after a while but I didn’t mind. The other day I heard the mother bird screaming outside my window only to look out and see a garter snake resting in the bush opposite of the nesting bush across my front porch. I went out and moved the snake (with a bite to the hand to show for it) and thought that I had saved the babies. I still heard their calls, but later checked the nest to see if they were okay and they were all gone. I thought I could still hear their calls throughout the day yesterday, but now I don’t hear anything. I hope that I didn’t get the snake post meal, but with the calls still being heard I thought maybe the mother moved them when she saw the threat of the snake. I haven’t found any answers yet online and thought you could help! Thanks for taking time to read this and help out!
I have one mockingbird that has been coming in my backyard for 2 years, he is very vocal and has alot of sounds. I know he is the same bird because he does the same patterns, he sits in our bradford pear tree and sings all night long , very loudly. during the day he sits on the light pole behind the tree, singing very loudly and flys up about 2 feet about every 5 minutes and lands back on the pole. He doesnt leave for very long at all. it is such a blessing to have him around and to listen to him.
I live in San Francisco, it is 4 a.m., I’m on the internet reading about Mockingbirds, can anyone guess why?
Sharon, definitely contact your local bird rehabber for advice on the care of a wild baby bird.
Korey, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that question.
Colleen, that’s funny!
Spatchula, I think I love you.
I have an evil beast residing outside my window. Earplugs do work but I have a 2 year old and the peace of mind saved from the bird-silence is ruined by thoughts of not hearing my own baby bird.
We’re going to make an owl scarecrow today and stick it in the tree. My husband said he would propose to me again should this work.
But good people, have no doubt. If I could possibly grasp this rodent in my hands, there would be mockingbird soup tonight! Hmmm…Red or white?
Since my last post, I downloaded and made a CD from the internet of a thunderstorm. I did notice this pesky mockingbird would not let another peep out after thunder. The first night it did run it away. The second night, it sang a couple of songs. The next 2 times it paid no attention to it at all. No telling what the neighbors thought but as I was wearing down from lack of sleep it didn’t matter. But now I have heard nothing from this bird in about 3 nights. Either this tactic worked or he did find a mate. Nevertheless, I am sleeping much better. If he would just sing the same song over and over it wouldn’t be so bad but over and over a different song it keeps my mind working and I am not to sleep. I love all birds but not this sort of night behavior right outside my bedroom window! Hopefully, he is gone or done for good this year.
There is a mockingbird nest in my sidewalk tree. The female (or male?) has been sitting in the nest for 5 days. We had a very heavy downpour last night, and I was so concerned about the bird sitting in the nest. She (or he) was there this morning and looked fine. So far I have been able to go close to the nest without being attacked by the other parent. Do they do this only after the eggs have hatched? They are lovely birds. This is the 5th time we have had a nest in our tree.
For all of those people that are tired of the constant singing of the Mockingbirds at night, just use earplugs. They work great!
My four year old grandson was attacked and pecked in the top of his head by a mockingbird. He was outside playing at his home. He had to get three stitches to close the largest wound and there were several small pecks around it. Last week I had three huge holly bushes cut down because last year if I went near them, the birds would come out and perch on the electric wire above and make threatening sounds and I know they were capable of attacking. I love to work in my yard and I was sick and tired of them setting bounderies for me. Who could love these pest! I think they are the meanest birds around.
It is 3:00 am in Miami, Florida. I actually live in Homestead which is in between the Keys and Miami. For the longest time I actually thought that I was hearing a ghost bird. I would swear to my parents that I would hear bird calls at night and they would tell me theres no such thing. It would actually keep me up at night because I am deathly afraid of ghosts. Well tonight I thought “hey! maybes it’s a Nightingale!” (let me again mention its only 3 o’clock in the morning because, yes, I know nightingales only exist in Europe). But while i listened to a youtube video of a Nightingale I realized it was missing one key factor: a high-pitched trill followed emediatly by something similar to a sing-song version of a laugh. While searching I came across a post of another night-time bird that is Florida’s bird. the Mickingbird. I listened to another yourbe video and it had exactly what i was looking for. I looked up pictures and articles including yours. And I recognize the bird. It’s (honest to god) the Northern varety because I have seen it up close… attacking me. And while I’m sitting here it is immitating the call of a rooster. And the whole family thought that that rooster was just stupid for crowing at night! That would also explain why i hear a cat in a tree sometimes but… no cat! So, greatfull to the Internet, I can sleep soundly at night once again, knowing that it’s not just a bird, but a nocturnal bird!
Wanted to say the baby bird is doing well and even sleeps at night, but is very hungry in the morning. I have started placing fruit and seeds in it’s cage but believe their food is normally insects. I have seen and heard baby birds around the building where I work and I am hoping to return the baby in the near vincity in about a week.
Mockingbirds only attack from fear of danger as do most birds as well to protect it’s young. I hear their nests are low to ground and the fledglings are feed from the ground. I am surprised to hear comments of the nature of hearing them at night and attacks. I have lived in Florida all my life and have yet to regret coming in contact or living around the birds we see and hear everyday.
I much rather be awaken by birds than the sirens and traffic from the Interstate Roads.
I was sitting here in my home in Florida, reading this informative site, when all of a sudden, I heard this loud ruckus….of screeching, squawking, screaming mockingbirds..I ran outside there must have been about 10 mockingbirds attacking this large black bird on the ground. When the black bird took flight it had one of the mockingbirds in it’s beak…and the the other mocking birds chased it out of sight. So sad, I hope it was not the mockingbird that was nesting in the bush next door..it comes to my bird bath often…….
Monique, Please please please let me know if the scarecrow works! I,ve been trying to think of a way to trap it so I can put in a box and send it Somalia. I’ve caught myself looking at bb guns until I learned that it’s the state bird here. Nothing but a nuisance.
Another suggestion for people who lose sleep because of mockingbird songs: if you don’t like earplugs, use a white-noise maker. You can adjust the volume. It’s a much more effective solution than trying to silence the mockingbird.
Hey Spatch! Well, the scarecrow was a bit of a bust, more funny than scary. These birds have no fear anyway. BUT…On the next night, I squirted the tree with a water hose. I soaked it pretty good. I haven’t heard him since. Now, I don’t know if a: he was afraid of water b: he didn’t care to sit on a soggy tree branch or, more likely and my favorite, c: he went to see his favorite intended and showed up dripping wet whereupon she took great pity and invited him to come inside and “get out of those wet feathers”. I personally have used this tactic several times and it works like a charm. The wet clothes thing, not the aquatic mockingbird defense maneuver. Good luck little dude.
-Mo
I never knew what a Mockingbird looked like, but it didn’t take long before I knew I had one in the tree outside. This bird sang several different tunes of familiar birds, as well as a perfect immitation of a car alarm. As amused as I was with the talent, it was 10pm when I first noticed it singing outside, and this bird was loud! So of course the first thing that came into my mind was, this is a rabbid bird! (I was always warned about animals that were active at unusual times of day) A few hours later I was certain that this bird was rabbid and going crazy because it belted out tunes nonstop keeping me up until 4am. So I went through this cycle for a few days until I overcame my fear of “rabbid birds” in a desperate act to get some much needed sleep and I harpooned out of my house and into that tree late at night in an attempt to shake it out! Needless to say, the only thing I scared was probably my neighbors who may question my sanity now. Tonight I’ll stay inside, but that bird is still there and its 2:30am, so I decided to look up Mockingbirds online to see how I can get him to fly somewhere else. Now I know he is singing his heart out for a mate, and I just have pity on the poor thing, because he isn’t sleeping either. So I guess I’ll just get used to sleeping with my head UNDER my pillows. Nice site.
Hey,
I, too, have a “pet” Mockingbird that I have named “Buddy,” simply because when he or she first showed up about six years ago, and started eating out of the dog’s food bowl, I would get some dry food out and say, “You want some food, Buddy?”, and he would eat. Then, I would go out and whistle for him and he would come flying in and is so beautiful and graceful. Buddy will make his nest somewhere near the house, and when the babies are born, I will stand out with my dry dog food and Buddy will make trip after trip carrying the food to his babies. If I am out and Buddy wants me to go get a handful of food, he will follow me around and wait. Buddy has become a household member, and we wonder what the lifespan of Mockingbirds is? Please help.
HI–I HAVE GOOGLED THAT SAME QUESTION TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW LONG MOCKINGBIRDS LIVE. WE HAVE A MOCKINGBIRD FRIEND TOO-FIRST WE HAD JUST HER-NOW WE HAVE 3 MOCKINGBIRDS! I WROTE A LENGTHY PARAGRAPH ABOVE….PLEASE READ IT-IT’S IN ALL CAPS. ANYHOO-WE’RE CLOSEST TO THE FEMALE (WE ASSUME SHE’S FEMALE)–SHE COMES TO EAT IN FRONT OF US TOO-SHE’S SO LOVELY AND SWEET AND CURIOUS. WE FEED THEM ORGANIC (SLICED VERY SMALL) PIECES OF APPLE AND TOMATOR-MOCKINGBIRDS GO NUTS FOR APPLE AND TOMATOES!! ORGANIC MULTIGRAIN-WHOLE GRAINS BREAD TOO! CRUMBLE IT UP INTO ITSIE BITSIE PIECES. ORGANIC IS BEST–SINCE IT’S PESTICIDE-HERBICIDE-FUNGICIDE-GMO FREE—AND IF U WANT THEIR LIFESPAN TO BE LONG–FEED THEM THIS STUFF-WE ALSO FEED THEM BIRD SEED–THEY DON’T LIKE THE WILD BIRD SEED MIXES–BUT WE STILL PUT IT IN THE FEEDER FOR THE OTHER BIRDS. DO NOT FEED THEM CONVENTIONAL DOG FOOD! EVEN YOUR OWN DOG SHOULDN’T EAT REGULAR CONVENTIONAL DOG FOOD. GET YOUR DOG ALL NATURAL DOG FOOD-CUZ CONVENTIONAL DOG FOOD IS NASTY STUFF-THAT CONTAINS BYPRODUCTS-AND DISEASED GROUND UP ROAD-KILL. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS TERRIBLE-BUT DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT—-LOOK IT UP AND RESEARCH IT-U’LL SEE I’M TELLING U THE TRUTH. ANIMALS DESERVE CLEAN HEALTHY FOOD!!!! I’M GLAD 2 HEAR THAT U’RE BUDDY BUDDY W/ THE MOCKINGBIRD….CUZ I HATE TO HEAR WHEN PEOPLE ARE ANGRY W/ THEM-AND WANT TO GET RID OF THEM. THEY’RE A REAL BLESSING TO HAVE AROUND–WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM! GOOD LUCK!
Chloe:
Thanks for the info, and I did read your paragraph above and I found it very interesting. You know, I kept looking for the lifespan of Mockingbirds and finally found it was about 8 years for wild ones. We’ve had Buddy now for about seven years, and so I guess he/she is elderly now, but you sure can’t tell it. Sometimes, Buddy will have brown bugs and legs sticking out of his mouth. You think that might be what you’re seeing.
Take care,
Toni
Go hug a tree.
That is, if you don’t think the tree will mind.
There is a black phoebe that built a nest on my neighbors house. As soon as it was complete a mockingbird showed up, and the poor little guy has to defend his nest from this bird almost twice his size. Will the mockingbird rob this nest? I thought they only eat berries and bugs!
Mike - really nice site - THANKS.
I just finished trying to have a nice quite morning on the back patio drinking coffee. I live in a suburb of Dallas. In the area trees I have:
Doves – cooooing
Crows – crowing
Red Headed Woodpeckers – pecking
Sparrows – chirping
Blue Jays/Robins and Cardinals – hardly making any noise
And MOCKINGBIRDS – doing what they do…LOUDLY. I have way more then one of these lonely bachelors looking for love. OH how I’d like to put em out of theirs and my misery. (but I won’t)
Thanks to you and your site – now I know why my brain is frazzled and that maybe is a couple of weeks the racket will be gone.
Mockingbirds are pretty birds! I love all birds having rescued many baby birds trying to nurse back to health, etc. But the Mockingbirds are also one of the most aggravating birds I know of pecking at people’s heads, dogs, cats, etc. This could be dangerous. Also keeping folks awake at night. I know they do all of this by nature, but this wouldn’t replace an eye pecked out, sleep-deprivation, etc. I have trouble sleeping at times but when these males start it is impossible. I have to help my mother who is sick and I do have to have my sleep. My mockingbird seems to be gone for this year and I hope the darling never comes back. I did go outside after he quit singing and heard one singing at night several houses away. (almost enjoyed it) Day singing didn’t bother me at all. Hopefully all is well with this fellow.(probably until next year) The ones of you on this forum who likes night singing can probably go to sleep when the head hits the pillow and nothing wakes them. Well I can’t do that!
Hey Chloe,
I am interested in attracting one of these mockingbirds myself and would like to know exactly what type of apple they were eating (granny smith, red delicious etc.) and do they have to be organic because I am on tight budget since I just spent a boatload of money on syanide.
Spatchula, that’s not remotely funny (and you spelled cyanide wrong.) Mockingbirds, like all native wild birds in the United States, are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to do harm to wild birds.
If mockingbirds are bugging you, invest in earplugs instead. Their midnight sonatas usually end after a few weeks anyway.
Mike, it was my understanding that “authors” such as spatchula are screened before posting, therefore eliminating his unwanted words.
Pamella
Pamella, that is true but I considered this comment a good opportunity to mention the law that protects all wild birds.
Hi Mike,
I’m glad u put “Spatchula” in his/her “place”–b/c I’m a bit upset about that last comment he/she made (to me). I had answered Toni’s comment-saying what Mockingbirds love to eat…..then Spatchula had to put an evil twist on it. That comment freaked me out–i don’t want to give an evil person any “ideas”. AS for U, Spatchula—please leave your Mockingbirds alone!! Or-mother nature, GOD and your karma WILL get ya!!!
Chloe, Please don’t let unwanted words from a kitchen utensil discourage you in any way. Mike got his point across to him/her and yet kept his cool - something I’m learning to do. I applaude you for the love and attention you give the Mockingbirds. I have one who has been quite vocal this afternoon and its as if he knew I needed to hear his library of songs on a sad day I’ve had here in my little town.
Pamella
I witnessed a mockingbird battle royale outside my bedroom window this morning. As I drew the drapes open, I spotted a pair of mockingbirds in an aerial battle about 20 feet above the street. They flew at each other, smashing into one another then locked together, cartwheeling through the air. This continued for about 10 seconds when one bird either let go or was flung off by the other.
The victor flew up away into a tree across the street while its foe fell to the ground and lay there stunned and unmoving. I really thought it was badly injured or dead but when I went outside to check, it had revived and flown off.
It was quite a vicious battle - I was amazed at the ferocity. These guys don’t fool around!
Pamella,
Thanx for your sweet/kind words. I’m glad your Mockingbird cheered you up today :).
and-
Heather–
Wow—sorry u had to see that. I’m happy they’re not injured!!! I saw a mini fight like that yesterday afternoon-the thing is….first we had 1 Mockingbird….then we had 2—-and they’re a lovely pair—and now we have 3! So when i saw them fighting up in the air yesterday….i don’t know if it was the lovebirds-pair that were fighting….or if was 1 of them fighting w/ the new 3rd Mockingbird. Anyhoo-they weren’t injured afterwards….they just flew off. They really are the lovliest birds!
Hi,
I know Mockingbirds are fierce fighters, and it can be frightening to watch, but I think they are usually okay afterwards. Buddy (my longtime Mockingbird friend) used to “bully” the neighborhood cat, Lucky, something awful. I have watched Buddy try to intimidate Lucky as he walked across the yard trying his best to maintain some kind of dignity as Buddy literally flapped his wings and “screamed” at him the whole time, and this would be inches from his face. Lucky, being the gentle soul he was (he died from old age last year), never tried to fight back or run. He would just keep walking as if he was trying not to notice as this “thing” heckled him. It was so amusing to watch.
My cat is a pretty serious hunter gatherer. Last year she brought into the house 4 newborn Mockingbirds. She plays with em them and any bird she catches till they die. From time to time I catch the birds and am able to release em before it’s too late. (I toss a bath towel over them)
There is a mom and dad Blue Jay that were looking to get the cat just last night. (there is a nest with one baby blue jay 30 feet away) They were sitting on the wooden fence four feet above her….They made all sorts of racket which the cat just seemed to ignore.
Steve: You seem oddly proud? Can all cat-owners take note please and just imagine the combined slaughter all the cats in the US wreak on the nation’s nesting birds? If habitat and climate change wasn’t impacting enough, adding millions of predators into the nation’s gardens is really not helping…please at least try to keep your cats under control until the nesting season is over.
Charlie, you said, “It’s considered a sin to kill a mockingbird, or at least that’s what we’re told in the book of the same name. Why? As Harper Lee says, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.””
You know, I had forgotten that wonderful quote from my favorite book! Wow! I think I need to either reread the book or watch the movie again. Made me nostalgic!
Mike,
Do both the males and females build the nest, and will a male take more than one mate. I have one nest with hatchlings and 3 empty nests. There are four mockingbirds on the property, one of which that I am relatively sure was an immature bird that I put back in it’s nest last year.
This year, one of the mockingbirds (same bird?) repeatedly would look in my windows, hanging from the screens and singing to me in the yard, even mimicing my whistles, much to my entertainment. This particular bird is constantly within 10-15 feet of me in the garden and I suspect it might be the young bird that fell from the nest last year
This bird does not run me off from it’s nest, here is a photo link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quietdancinghorses/3497273095/
It is becoming a daily occurance for this particular bird to chortle at me and sing, and it does not quiet down until I check the nest. Weird? I am curious about the 3 other empty nests. The area is open and rural, …a farm home in the middle of corn feilds and wonder about the odd behavior of these birds. In my experience, mockingbirds can be very territory, but this group of 4 is not, and the one in particular seems very amiable. I generally do not pay attention to birds, but this particular bird’s antics are difficult to ignore! It even follows the dogs around, not aggressively, but in a rather sly and I dare say curious manner. Weird.
This link shows the bird in question, driving one of the cats nuts through the window. http://www.flickr.com/photos/quietdancinghorses/3088807080
*whispered* “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” — To Kill A Mockingbird
Hello mike. Ok I am like the rest of the people here whos husband and myself is losing or lost sleep over a mocking bird. I live in southern calif and have tried to shoot water on the “nice lil bird”,in what i think is my orange tree. I live behind a school yard and discovered that there is a hawks nest in the tree, but no hawk around it seems. How long does this “season” go for?? Its been like 2 mos now that we have been lacking sleep. You say its until he finds a mate. Like someone said can we like hurry this batchlor up?
sleepless until he finds a mate!
Nine years ago we had a bachelor mockingbird at my parents’ house, and daily I would whistle and he would always fly over and sing back. This went on for several weeks, and one day he flew up to me, dropped a fig from our tree at my feet and sang. I moved away shortly after this, and was told he left after I stopped singing with him. Recently, another mockingbird has been at their house, and during visits I have seen/heard him. He answers with similar songs as my first bird-friend, flies to perch close to me, and seems oddly familar. Is it possible that he has returned after so many years? Or could he be a descendant and have inherited the instinct to return to the same yard, and even be comfortable with the same person? I know that sounds a little odd, but I had never heard of a bird becoming attached to a person before, (nor bearing gifts of fruit) and now figure there are all sorts things we have yet to uncover about birds, as well as all creatures. Any thoughts? Thanks
I have a mockingbird nest in a juniper bush and noticed that in one day the baby birds are gone. They seemed too small to fly to me so does the mother move them or did something eat them?
Kathy
Wow. I saw a mockingbird in Windsor, ontario. so pretty and innocent
It’s after 1 a.m. and our local lothario mockingbird hasn’t stopped singing for three days - and nights! He was quiet for a few minutes during the thunderstorm, but has picked up right where he left off - oh, with one addition. The frogs are croaking after the rain, and so is the mockingbird!
We’re in southern Florida.
We have a baby mockingbird that was handed to us by a tree trimmer that found the bird on a golf course in another town. I’m familiar with wild mocks and have watchedthem for years. I know that after about 10 days the parents push them out of the nest and into bushes or shrubs and continue to feed them and teach them to feed on their own. I believe this mock was about 10 days old when we got him. He is now 30 days old. I am still feeding him by hand. He is outside and flies from tree to tree,but when he’s hungary he comes back to the house and cries and cries until I feed him. I have gone through $40 worth of worms and 2 packages of blueberries and quite a few grapes. I watch as he tries to get insects, but no luck. I even lie the worms on the ground and as they wiggle I hope he will go for it, but he just cries and wants me to feed him. Is he still too young to feed on his own?
My daughter saved one of two fledglings from a crow attack. After two weeks of feeding and feeding, it is flying. But not picking up food yet, still looks at it (might peck it), then opens the big yellow mouth for us to drop the worm or cricket in. We “released” it today, it flew around for 3 hours. Sounds great … but the local adult mockingbirds and other birds kept dive bombing it. It flew back and we are back to feeding it tonight. QUESTION: How/When do we release and should we try someplace else?
Gina,
The adults orignally tried to attack my mock, but the Blue Jay was right there to fend them off. This happened a few times and each time the Blue Jay was right there protecting the little guy. Now that I feed the baby outside and he’s on his own and as long as the big mocks get their treats, they have started to leave the baby alone. But baby still want’s me to feed him. I just gave him my last worm this morning. For the past 7 years I have been feeding one mock who I have known since he was first born by watching his nest. I buy cheap hot dogs….79 cents a pack and cut about an inch off and mince it up and they love it. I have a stand set up on the back fence and they know to go there to get them. A package can last a month, I keep them in the freezer and take one out every week or so. The adults also take the hot dogs to help feed the little ones. When it’s mating season and the nest start, I go through a lot more, but what the heck. My little guy eats the hot dogs too, but he prefers the worms.
The parents usually push the babies out of the nest after 10 days. Then they are led to different bushes or hedges and sit in there while the parents feed them. You can hear the peep peep sounds, the sounds get louder as the parent flies in to feed them. In the early morning hours at first light you can see the parents showing the babies how to hunt for food on the lawns on our street. That’s the only time I see the babies out. After a few weeks they have gone off on their own and the parents start another nest. I throw out cut cotton twine and yarn in 4 - 6″ pieces for them to build their nest. They love it. I know, cause one day I looked into an empty nest and it was totally lined with the cotton twine….comffy for their little butts. They never reuse the nest. We live outside of Clearwater, FL and the parents build nest from about April through July and usually lay 3 - 4 eggs. My adult “Hughey” trust me and let’s me look into the nest. Usually they dive bomb people who go near the nest. Mockingbirds are very territorial and protect their area from other mocks when it comes to food. They will chase away other mocks, yet if a crow or hawk is in the area, that is the only time they get together and chase them away. Then it’s back to being territorial.
We have found what we believe is a baby mockingbird…
He fell from his nest… we found him while ‘weeding our garden’!
I tried to make a nest.. as I was unsure exactly where in our large cone shaped spruce he/she came from. However, he fell again and almost died
Taking matters into our own hands.. we got a box and some soft cloths with outside spruce etc. I purchased some baby bird formula from Petsmart and have been nursing him/her for approx. 4 days now. He/she is starting to look more like a bird! Judging from photos, I believe him/her to be approx. 8 days old… we feed him/her with a dropper. So far so good… I purchased a small cage as he seemed more aware, wider eyes and wanting to see what was ‘outside the box’. Yesterday for the first time I took him/her outside to hear many of the other birds in our back yard (in the cage of course to keep him/her still protected) He/she was alert and really responding to the other birds! Today he seems more ‘tired’ and not quite as hungry.
I am getting conflicting websites re: feeding
According to the baby bird formula, we have probably another 7 days of through the night feeding…? We have been feeding every 2 to 2.5 hrs. Lastnight however, he seemed less interested.. we think maybe its time to stop the all nighters? The baby bird formula is probably mostly based on ‘baby parrot’ feedings?
We are hoping to adapt him eventually to outside so we can set him/her free. Just not sure how long before he/she will eat a solid diet of what we understand: mealworms, crickets, berries, seeds, spiders, ?
While looking for info on mockingbirds I was happy to find this site as I am trying to attract some of them to my home.
On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, the St. Petersburg Times (Florida paper) had an interesting article. It states: A mocking bird lunges at University of Florida biology major (I omitted her name) in an attempt to drive her away from its nest on the university’s campus in Gainesville. Mockingbirds may look pretty much alike to people, but they can tell us apart and are quick to react to folks they don’t like. Birds rapidly learned to identify people who had previously threatened their nests and sounded alarms, and even attacked those folks, even while ignoring others nearby, researchers report in today’s edition of Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
Allison,
The best thing that could have been done for the bird was to move it to a near by protected bush or shrub. The parents would have found it by it’s peeps and started feeding it. As soon as it was able to hop, it would have by listening to the parents sounds and been able to move to a better more secure location. This is all for next time if it happens again. I experienced this 7 years ago. As you can see by my prior post, I had a baby given to me 3 weeks ago. He just left yesterday, I’m so sad. I fed him a diet of red worms and wigglers, sliced in thirds, sliced blueberries, slivers of grape slices, timy minced hot dog pieces, and bugs when I could find them. He had the run of our screen porch for a few weeks and last week we let him stay outside. He still peeped when he wanted to get fed and alway came flying when I would do the sound the parents make when calling their young. I only used tweezers to feed it the first few days, after that it was right with fingers and he would open his mouth and wait for me to drop the food in as well as water drops from a straw. The last few days we would both be on the ground and he would be pecking looking for insects. I could see that instinct was kicking in. I hope he left on his own yesterday. I know the other mocks were jealous of him and did not want him around.
Hello Anna
Thank you for your quick response!
I was sure we saw the Mama & Papa, however… there are WAY TOO MANY CATS around here and one in particular that visits our house daily.
We were too scared to put him down. So we tried making the nest knowing that this little guy could be found by his parents. However, when he fell again and was almost ‘gone’ we just couldn’t risk the neighborhood kitty or any others getting a hold of it.
We will keep bringing him outside and do what this other website suggested… it said to keep feeding him and he will let us know when he is ready for the regular food. Then to keep him out in the cage during the day with it locked for the first 7 days. Then after the 7 days, keep the cage open during the day and get him getting used to the other bird sounds. Then close at night to keep him safe. This way he can come and go as he gets braver, eventually he will not return
Even his mama/papa may start to come in and feed him themselves I hope!
It’s 1:58 in the morning and it’s nice to know that we’re not alone. I thought we had a defective bird until visiting this site.
I had ALWAYS admired our mocking birds and their intelligent calls and memory, but I had NO IDEA that they made these nocturnal pleas until last week.
He sings…all..night…long and into the early morning. It makes me wonder when this fellow sleeps. I had assumed that he was trying to find a mate and I’m confident that she’ll come soon. He’s got an amazing array of tunes and he’s louder than my car stereo. Impressive.
We are trying to help the little dude find his lady love by making our yard accomodating for birds. We have gardens with several different types of flowers and we keep fresh water in bird baths. I also hang several different types of bird food - going so far to put out live mealworms for whoever wants them.
We also happen to live on a horse farm and I’d like to note that I’ve never seen our mocking birds harm or dive at any cats or other creatures.
I am hoping that our bachelor finds his lady soon….he can still be heard with ear plugs!
Unfortunately, I found my dog had killed or found a baby mockingbird from around a jasmine bush. Since then, 2 adults have been attacking my dog. I have tried to take her out the front to keep away from the bush. I found another baby sitting on the top of the bush, but it was gone a couple hours later. I hope it flew away. Will they leave when all the babies are gone or could they still be expecting the one that is gone?
What is that crazy thing they do on the ground, spreading their wings every step. We watch it go on for a long, long time some evenings. At first we thought it was some sort of mating dance but there is only one bird in sight. Meanwhile they have a nest of 4 newly hatched babies in a hanging basket on our porch about 2 feet from our table we sit at for breakfast. It is fun to have been able to see the eggs and now the hatchlings growing.
The Mocks spread their wings and the white stripe in their feathers flashes and this is how they startle insects on the ground. the insect moves and then they peck at it.
They might leave after mating season. Mine don’t. Mating season doesn’t end for another couple of months here. But they never reuse their nest. They will find a spot in the area to build new. If they feel the dog is a threat, they will most likely build in the next yard.
My 7 year old Mock leaves sometimes and then comes back with a mate. He flies right past my should when he sees me to show the mate that I am not a threat. He also sits on the feeder with my face inches away from him while I talk to him. My five year old Mock, never, ever leaves and he’s just as tame as the older one.
We have a mockingbird nest in a hanging basket on our back porch. The eggs only hatched a few days ago. Today I was trying to carefully water the plant without getting the nest wet when I realized the basket was full of ants! One began crawling on the babies (there are three) and it jumped as if it had been stung. I quickly put on a latex glove and removed the birds to a paper towel in a bowl. My husband is a vet and he got some bug spray he sells that is made with pyrethrins (from Crysanthemums) and I took the nest out and sprayed the underside of it. Not wanting to put them back in the ant infested pot, I got another nearby flowering plant, sprayed it with the spray, and put the nest and birds back in. My husband said the mother would never return, but she did. She looked at the new pot of flowers very suspiciously, but after seeing her brood there, she fed them the worm she had brought and went out for more. Now, after reading the other posts, I am worried about her pushing the babies out onto the patio. And I have a CAT. Any suggestions? None from you, Spatchula! (You do make me laugh, though.}
Hi Lee,
I made a mock up nest (is that a pun?) when the babies nest got smashed and the mother and father (they both feed the babies) found the new one and accepted it right away. In fact I could see momma preferred it better because it had a roof over it - like a mini “condo” with the sides open. We had been having rain every day and this kept everyone dry. After abouth 10 days, the parents will take turns pushing the babies out. You don’t need to worry about the cat. As soon as the baby is on the ground, the parents with their chirps lead them away from the nest area. In our case, it is usually across the street to our neighbors who have tall shrubs and short trees. From there they are guarded very well! If a cat does happen by, the parents will dive bomb it till it leaves. If a crow or other threat comes into the space above, all the mocks in the area gang up and chase it out of the area. Did you know that the mocking bird is the only bird that can also fly backwards. This makes it very helpful in dealing with preditors. By the way, if a predator is in the area, a Blue Jay will announce with a high pitched sqawk on and on and on. Also if you hear the mock parents sounding off a sort of “deep cluck” sound, it means there is a predator near by on the ground. (Most likely the cat). Let me know if you need to know any more info.
Little “Mockingbird” is adjusting well… flapping his little wings..he would of died if we didn’t take him in. He was half dead when my husband brought him to me. I dont’ know if maybe the mama or papa threw him out? As he didn’t seem to have been fed?
I put a spray mellet in the cage, seeds and scattered tiny pieces of blackberry to encourage him to feed himself and got a cricket (but not sure if I should just drop the cricket in there or smush him up? In the wild they have to catch them and thought it might be smart to just let the mockingbird see it jumping around the cage? He is also eating tiny pieces of blackberries with the baby bird formula… he is hanging outside right now getting used to all the birds/sounds… I have him right by our bird feeder so he can get used to is..
We wanted to put him back into the tree where he fell,… but its about 35 feet up! At least that is what we think…I took a pic of what I believe to be Mama or Papa at the top of our large Spruce Cone tree.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated… trying so desperately to get him out into his real world… he is just learning to fly now
Allison
Glad to see your baby is doing good. First, mocks don’t eat seed, only insects, worms and berries. The parents only build nest 4-5 feet off the ground. So that tall tree does not have a mock’s nest in it. But the parents do like to sit atop the tall ones just to keep an eye on things.
Hello Anna!
Many thanks for your quick response ( ;
Is there an email I can send a photo to you of this little guy?
I read other websites that said to put some seed in the bottom of the cage, there are so many conflicting websites on Mockingbirds
I also read that they choose lower shrubs etc… but I saw this Mama or Papa going into near the top of our HUGE cone Spruce and this is where baby fell from… maybe this isn’t a Mockingbird at all.. sure looks like it though!
RE: Cricket.. should I drop it in the cage (its a mini cricket) or bring it to the Baby bird already dead?
I guess I should go and get some meal worms.. and from what I understand pinch the head so that it can’t hurt the baby bird?
Allison
Hello Anna
I just took pic’s and short video of what we believe to be Mama & Papa!
They were swooping down at the kitty that comes around here everyday and the cat went up the tree and I made him come back down!
I would like to send them to you along with Baby then maybe we can verify we do in fact have a mockingbird.. you can hear Mama/or Papa singing!
My email is alli_blake@hotmail.com
The birds in the trees surrounding my house are chirping all day and night. I think they followed me from my previous house. They chirped day and night there too. I think it must have to do with mating because it happens in May. Hopefully they will all find mates as June is creeping up and I need some sleep. I have been concentrating on making the chirping be part of the process of falling asleep. I have had some luck by reducing my negative reactions and increasing positive thoughts. I repeat to myself - “The chirping is sleeping music and I am falling asleep”. I am trying to use Ekert Tolle’s “being in the now” philosophy. I’ll see where I am in a week.
My mockingbirds had four eggs which hatched several weeks ago in my holly bush. They are very territorial. On several occasions I would try to peak on the little ones progress. Each time he or she would sweep down and beam me on the head. Last week I tried to peak and found the nest empty. Myrtle Beach, SC
I love my mockingbirds, even when they wake me at night with their songs. I grow bird peppers in my yard for the mockingbirds. These are small -1/4″ size very hot peppers. The nesting pair in my yard take my bird peppers and feed them to their young. It is quite extrodinary to see the parents with these flaming hot peppers in their mouths. Birds do not have capascin receptors so they can’t feel the heat of the peppers. And they spread more plants in the yard through their droppings.
Sophia- hot peper spray does not work for bird for this reason, it just may attract them!
They are quite social wtih other birds, working together to chase away predators.
In the evenings when an owl came to hunt in my backyard just at sunset the mockingbird, cardinal and bluejay would get togehter and attack him for about 15 minutes until it was dark.
The pair in my yard scream and make a racket when there is a snake near their nest. At that point I come out and chase it away and then they are calm.
They never bothered me near their nest until the babies were out and in the yard.
We are down to 1 baby bird. I don’t know when the first disappeared, but I found the second in my yard a bit ago. Because it was extremely wet, I know that likely it fell out of the nest and our dog, Boudi, found it and slobbered all over it until it died. She never kills anything, just carries it around like a toy. The remaining bird barely has pinfeathers, so I know the others weren’t trying to fly. I hope the mama didn’t push them out of the nest.
I guess Mama is over it; I found her in my vegetable garden getting lunch for herself or her remaining baby. At least she is getting rid of the garden pests for me.
I was googling when do mockingbird chicks open their eyes and found this web page. Let me tell you my mockingbird story. For the past 2 winters on LI, NY I have had a mockingbird hang out in my holly shrubs that line a small front patio. I found out from a good friend that they eat fruits and insects. I started to put out on a small table raisins for it to eat over the winter months. I even put out some holly berries, which the bird ate last if there were raisins there too. This spring, one of my sons and I cleaned our gutters and dumped the pine needles into the foundation planting soil area. A few weeks later I wondered where the pile of needles disappeared to as I didn’t remove them. Lo and behold, I see a nest inside one of the hollies about 3′ from the ground, well protected by the branches and leaves and about 6′ from my front door. Now I have been offering raisins all winter long and now see this nest. The 2 parents are quite tolerant of me when I go outdoors and when there is no food out on that small table, they ‘peep’ to make me aware of it. One morning, as one of my sons was waiting for the school bus indoors, he kept hearing the peeping but didn’t know why the bird was doing it. Since my bedroom abuts the front patio, I finally heard it. I looked out the window and there was no food!! Smart critter…
One day I was not home and when I looked in the nest, there were 4 eggs, 3 were mockingbird eggs and one was the dreaded brown headed cowbird egg. I called the Theodore Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary in Oyster Bay and the Director told me about the cowbird and its behavior. Now I thought, I want just the mother to feed her own. How do I get rid of this parasite egg? I tried using a cake tester to break the egg, but no luck as it wasn’t sharp enough. Finally I used a hemostat (a scissor like clamp used to clamp tubing in hospitals) to try to remove it. I ended up cracking the egg and left it there. The next day, I saw the egg was gone and no debris was under the nest onto the soil. I guess the mother or father ate the egg. The eggs hatched within a week’s time and as of now I can see that they are looking more bird like and still haven’t opened their eyes. The down is sable colored and blends into the nest material which used as a lining those disappearing pine needles. I also upped the food on that small table and have even offered cut up raspberries, blueberries and black berries in addition to their favorite– the raisins. Whenever they see me they fly to the nearby trees and peep at me. They have never been aggressive towards me or any members of my family. I do not have any pets and my husband teases me and says those mockingbirds are your pets.
I finally have several mocks in my yard. I put out feeders but they also attracted lots of squirrels. Love the mocks but not the squirrels. They have already destroyed one feeder. It was suppose to be a squirrel free feeder.
Mocks will not eat from bird feeders. The usually perfer bugs and I am happy for them to eat all the bugs in my yard. I keep the squirrls away from my feeders but putting out a feeder just for them. If you can get them used to corn that is great because it is cheaper but mine are spoiled on sunflower seeds.
The mocks in the hanging basket on our porch are about ready to leave. It has been so fun to watch them grow up. I look at and talk to them several times a day. They just look up at me. Parents don’t seem to mind but they ran a cat off this morning. My husband seldom talks to them and he did the other day and they all (three) flattened out and tried to hide.
Well, it’s a sad day now. I thought sure my babies would fledge today. They were in a nice “safe” hanging basket and full feathered. But, this morning, I went to check on them and a snake had gotten there first. I did not even know we had any snakes right up by the house. Still hard to see exactly how he got into the basket.
I love mocking birds!
Where do they go in the Winter??
and…what is their life span???
I do not think they migrate to warmer climates.
Update on my ‘family’. This AM the parents were making more noise than usual, so I go out on my patio and see there are raisins there so its not for lack of food that they are peeping. I look into the nest and I see that one of the chicks (about 3″ high) is sitting perched on the edge of the nest with its eyes open. I can see the brown markings on its white breast. I go back inside and see that all is right with the world. I wonder if that one is going to leave the nest soon?
The bird is beautiful, and I love to hear it sing (during the day). But last night I didn’t get much sleep. I guess it was one of the lonely male mockingbird that was really sad because he did’t have a mate. My dogs nor I got any sleep. I actually had to take a day off from work. I’m glad he doesn’t sleep at my house every night. And I will still continue to love the mockingbird.
A Mockingbird nest with three babies was apparently blown out of the evergreen tree in our backyard. We quickly found a basket and layered it with spaghnum moss and tied it up in the tree next to the original nest. We put the babies in it. The parents quickly adapted to the new nest and all is well.
The day after my last entry here, the chicks fledged the nest. Two days later I saw one at the edge of my driveway and it hopped into the lawn. I haven’t seen the other two so I am assuming they are still alive in my hollies well hidden.
I tried an experiment yesterday and fed my mockingbird parents a cut up honeydew cube and a cut up red grape. Within 10 minutes of me putting those 2 fruits down on the table, they were gone!! I guess birds like variety same as humans.
We recently planted a spruce tree in our front yard and within days we observed two mockingbirds nest about 3 feet from the ground and lay eggs. Three baby birds hatched. Unfortunately a few days later, we suddenly noticed the adults weren’t around and upon delicate inspection of the nest, noticed the hatchlings were gone. The nest looks intact. We do have cats in our area, but it doesn’t look as if the nest was disturbed or damaged at all. Is it possible the birds relocated their young? I hate the thought of a neighborhood cat getting to them! We’ve noticed the adults on our neighbor’s roof, hovering around another tree.
I read that mockingbirds fledge or leave the nest within 12 days of being born. The three chicks that were in my nest left on day 13. I have seen as of today 2 of them; can’t locate the 3rd one. I am assuming it is still alive and well hidden within my hollies. The parents are still feeding them and now the little ones are making cheeping noises for food. They are about 4 inches high now and are getting good at short hops and just a little bit of flight from the ground into the hollies.
Some great information…I live in VA close to Winchester and we have had a mockingbird here for many years. It seems the same one as it flys it’s usual pattern …first the tallest tree, then to the house roof, then to the other taller tree, and back again. It especially like it when we are in our pool, as it seems to sing the most then…while knowing it has an audience. I have read many of the postings…but still have not read how long a Mockingbird lives. Our bird has been here for as long as we have which is about 5 years, so I am trying to determine wether this is the same bird or an offspring. We love the bird, and love it’s songs.
I am a wildlife rehabilator in the state of North Carolina.I have at this time 2 very young mocking birds in my care.A mockingbirds life span is around 9 years given that they stay safe.The parents build their own nest and do not lay eggs in other nests.as far as the singing until dawn,unless he gets the girl,he will give up and move to another spot within a couple to 3 months.But he will return next year and the year after and so forth.Baby Mocking birds are very bad about jumping the nest too soon.but mom and dad will protect them with their life and continue too feed the wee ones for at least a year.If you really want to put an end too the late night music,go online and download a music file of a northern mockingbird singing,play it during the day,and your male mocking bird will move to another place too find his girl.They don’t like competition.So will move on if they hear the singing.
Linda - Many thanks for such an interesting response and for the information. I can hear a mass of people clicking the “download mockingbird mp3″ button right now!!
Cheers
Some good news and sad news to report!! On Wednesday, June 17th, one of the mockingbird chicks was run over by a car in front of my house. I guess it couldn’t fly away fast enough and probably the driver didn’t see it. I buried it among my front foundation planting. The good news is that the remaining 2 chicks are still alive and Mama is keeping an eye on them and still feeding them raisins from my front patio table.
AWWWWWW……These birds are beatiful, fantastic, godly… BLAHHH!!!Blaahh!!! Blahh!!!!
Most of you dont have one 2 feet outside your bedroom window at night.
These birds are nothing but a nuisance from 11:30pm to 5am. I can appreciate the sound, the intelligence and the pure natural instinct of these Audubon treasures but only during the day. At night they are simply a pain in the arse.
Earplugs are great but not if you need to hear your children should something happen at night.
Shaking the tree works for about 10 minutes.
Loud noises works for about 4 minutes.
The speaker blasting Blue jay sounds is next.
What about a motion detector with a light to turn on when he lands in the tree?
I am progressing to the watered down tree and if that doesn’t work maybe a blowgun or a BB gun with a laser sight.
I dont want to “kill a mocking bird” so all of you nature lovers out there,help me come up with some ideas for my bachelor bird or its lights out for him.
Spatchula, let me know if you found a solution as you seem to understand my plight. Thanks. I cant wait for all of the “nature lovers” responses to this post. I love nature but my family needs to sleep.
I found this site while searching for information about fighting mockingbirds. Interestingly, there isn’t much on how aggressive they are towards one another. I witnessed a fight this morning on our lawn of two young ones. I thought it looked like a fight to the death. It lasted for quite a while and the screaming going on was startling. They were in a beak hold, flapping their wings on the ground until I thought they’d snap! We have had these birds in abundance over the years. I’ve never seen this behavior. Anyway, my husband and I love the songs and love to watch the babies flit around, and parents rush to them with food. We think they know us and are not at all aggressive towards us. There are plenty of females because there are never any night songs. We live in Florida where there are a lot of hawks and black birds, so we’ve seen the mocks gang up on them. We have a pet Love Bird. The Mocks can imitate him to perfection, so while Baby, the Love Bird, is chirping, the Mocks will engage in what seems to be a conversation! I think Baby believes it too!
Oh the humanity! There has been the most annoying mockingbird who has been singing non-stop, day and night for the past FIVE weeks! I mean, this is Miami, you’d think he would have hooked up by now. The worst part is that the only “songs” he knows are car alarms. So all night long from midnight to 8am all I hear is a car alarm going off 10 feet from my bedroom! Like everyone else, I have tossed pebbles at him, shaken the tree, clapped my hands loudly, even threatened to sic my cat on him - the darned thing just laughs at me and keeps on chirping. I think a wrist rocket sling shot may be in his near future…
i live in midtown manhattan and have a roof garden in which a mockingbird pair have a nest and 2 or 3 babies, maybe hatched about 1 week ago. problem is, i cannot go out on the roof garden because of the dive bombing parents! a pair nested there 2 years ago but there was not the same problem; they seemed to get used to us. so, i read in another posting that they fledge at 12 days or so. how long before they are gone and i can enjoy my roof garden again?
i forgot to check notify meof follow-up comments by e-mail, so hopefully this additional posting will accomplish that. thanks.
The mockingbird in my neighborhood has been singing 24/7 for a week now (not just at night). I hope he finds a girlfriend soon.
GOODMORNING ALL,
CHIP,MOCKING BIRDS DO FLEDGE AROUND 12 DAYS.MAYBE SOONER IF AN ADQUATE FOOD SOURCE CAN BE FOUND BY THE PARENTS AND THEY GET THE PROTEIN THEY NEED TO GROW AT A FASTER RATE.I AM REALLY SORRY SO MANY ARE HAVING SUCH A PROBLEM OUT OF THEASE WONDERFUL BIRDS.I LIVE ON A PRETTY BIG FARM AND MOST BIRDS HERE HAVE ROOM TOO ROAM AND SING WITHOUT BEING AT MY BED ROOM WINDOW.
AS I SAT ON MY BACK STOOP LAST NIGHT I GOT TO HEAR ONE OF MY MALES MIMIC A CELL PHONE .SUCH A WONDER.
Any idea why would a mockingbird throw himself at our sunroom window day after day?
Ellen, the mocking bird ‘thinks’ that another mockingbird is in its territory. The window is acting as a mirror to it.
Update on my remaining 2 chicks– I can only seem to find one chick, wonder if the parents each take one to help it get used to the world? Anyway, the chick becomes very vocal with peeps when it sees the parent. It has learned to fly fairly well and the tail feathers are starting to elongate. Still has the immature brown markings on its breast feathers. It has figured out that my small patio table is where the ‘treats’ are and it hops up to the table top and does occasionally peck at a raisin now.
[...] For those unfamilier with Mockingbirds I got the following from 100000birds.com. [...]
We live just north of the Bronx and many mockingbirds abound.
In April there was a wave of mockingbird calls throughout our town and then it subsided.
Now it is late June and another wave appears to be happening evermore rapturously even.
Is it the beginning of another mating season?
We love our Mockingbird. We have named him “BOSS” as he really seems to be in charge of our yard. We feed him raisens and dried cherries and he is very appreciative. He comes within a few feet of me now for his daily raisens and cherries….he is very handsome boy. Yes, he sings for his mate everynite for years now. My husband uses ear plugs but still hears him….lucky…we BOTH love him.
A mockingbird has tried to swoop down on me and my dog while we’re walking; will it attack my dog, by biting?
The mockingbird is probably protecting a nest nearby. They fledge within two weeks time so you may want to take another direction to walk your dog in that time frame. I doubt it would peck at your dog.
I have had a lot of experience with mockingbirds, they have been all around here ever since I can remember. I have seen them swoop down at cats before and humans as well, but one experience facinated me. The lady across the street was taking care of a few of her daughters cats for the summer. There was no problem at all with any of the cats except there was this one who was a long haired variety, a darkish gray color. Well, the mockingbirds targeted this one cat for some reason. No one could understand why the other cats had no problems but every time this long haired one stepped out the front door of his house, the mockingbirds started attacking him. I finally came to the conclusion that the mockingbirds had a nest nearby (which is usually the reason they attack anyway) but these birds perceived the cat as a racoon due to his appearance. Racoons LOVE eggs and they thought he was going to climb the tree and eat the eggs in the nest. I couldnt come up with any other explanation for this one. The cat was very much chagrined that the only time he could go outside with impunity was during the night hours. Thank you and hope you enjoyed this story