Northern mockingbird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern mockingbird |
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| An adult in New Hampshire | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mimus
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| Species: |
polyglottos
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| Northern mockingbird range Breeding range Year-round range | |
| Synonyms | |
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The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. It has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight.
The mockingbird is influential in United States culture, being the state bird of five states, appearing in book titles, songs and lullabies, and making other appearances in popular culture.
Contents
What do they look like?
Northern Mockingbirds are medium-sized birds with long legs and tails. They have gray to brown feathers on their upper body and a lighter belly. When they fly, you can see white patches on their wings and tail.
- Size: They are about 8 to 11 inches long, including their tail.
- Wingspan: 12 to 15 inches
- Weight: 1.4 to 2.0 ounces
- Color: Grayish-brown on top and white or whitish-gray underneath.
- Wings: They have white bars on their wings.
- Tail: Black in the center with white edges.
- Eyes: Their eyes are usually light green-yellow or yellow.
- Beak: Black, but brownish-black at the base.
Baby mockingbirds have streaks on their backs and spots on their chests. Their eyes are gray or grayish-green.
Males are usually a bit bigger than females.
Where do they live?
Northern Mockingbirds are found all over North America, from Canada to Mexico. They also live in places like the Caribbean and Hawaii. They like to live in open areas, woodlands, and even in cities and towns.
Sometimes, these birds even travel across the ocean! There have been a few sightings in Britain.
Diet
Northern Mockingbirds are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. They like to eat:
- Insects: Like spiders, grasshoppers, and caterpillars.
- Fruits: Like berries and grapes.
- Seeds: From different plants.
- Small creatures: Sometimes they eat small lizards.
They find food on the ground or in bushes.
They also do a funny little dance where they spread their wings, showing off their white patches. Scientists aren't sure why they do this, but it might be to scare away predators or catch insects.
Behavior
Northern Mockingbirds are known for their amazing ability to mimic sounds. They can copy the songs of other birds, animal sounds, and even noises from machines! They are also very protective of their nests and will chase away other birds and animals.
- Mimicry: They can imitate the sounds of other birds, animals, and even machines!
- Territorial: They defend their territory and nests fiercely.
- Aggressive: They will chase away other birds and animals that come too close.
Song and calls
Male mockingbirds sing a lot, especially during the breeding season. They sing to attract females and show off their territory. They have a huge collection of songs they can sing, sometimes up to 200 different types! Female mockingbirds sing too, but not as often or as loudly as the males. They also have different calls for different situations, like when they see a predator or when they are talking to their mate.
Reproduction
- Mating: They usually stay with the same partner for many years.
- Nesting: They build their nests in trees or bushes, about 3 to 10 feet above the ground.
- Eggs: The female lays 3 to 5 light blue or greenish eggs with spots. They can have two to four sets of babies each year.
- Incubation: The female sits on the eggs for about two weeks to keep them warm.
- Chicks: Baby mockingbirds are helpless when they hatch, so their parents have to take care of them. The parents feed them, keep them warm, and protect them from danger until they are old enough to fly away.
They are very protective of their nests and will even attack humans if they feel threatened!
Male mockingbirds sing to attract females. The more songs a male knows, the more attractive he is to females. Females also check out the male's territory to see if it's a good place to raise a family.
Predation and threats
- Predators: Owls, hawks, snakes, cats, and crows.
- Weather: Winter storms and dry seasons.
- Other threats: Sometimes, they can get sick from parasites.
Are they smart?
Scientists have found that Northern Mockingbirds are very smart. They can remember people who have threatened their nests and will act defensively towards them. They can recognize individual humans and remember who is a threat.
Adaptation to urban habitats
Northern Mockingbirds are now more common in cities than in the countryside. They have adapted to living in urban areas and are good at finding food and shelter. They can use artificial lights to find food at night.
Fun facts about the Northern mockingbird
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- Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird named "Dick".
- Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus first described this species in his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Turdus polyglottos.
- The Northern Mockingbird's scientific name, Mimus polyglottos, means "many-tongued mimic."
- This bird features in the title and central metaphor of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
- The northern mockingbird is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, and previously the state bird of South Carolina.
- The northern mockingbird's lifespan is observed to be up to 8 years, but captive birds can live up to 20 years.
Subspecies
There are three recognized subspecies for the northern mockingbird. There have been proposed races from the Bahamas and Haiti placed under the orpheus section.
- M. p. polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758): generally found in the eastern portion of North America ranging from Nova Scotia to Nebraska, to as far south as Texas and Florida.
- M. p. leucopterus, the western mockingbird, (Vigors, 1839): generally found in the western portion of North America ranging from northwestern Nebraska and western Texas to the Pacific Coast, and south to Mexico (the Isthmus of Tehuantepec), and Socorro Island. It is larger than M. p. polyglottos and has a slightly shorter tail, upperparts are more buff and paler, underparts have a stronger buff pigment.
- M. p. orpheus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Bahamas to the Greater Antilles, also the Cayman and Virgin Islands. Similar to M. m. polyglottos except smaller, a paler shade of gray on its back, and underparts with practically little, if any buff at all.
See also
In Spanish: Cenzontle común para niños
