Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Family
Genus
Species
Regional

This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:

Vincent, Alabama

Chandler, Arizona

El Mirage, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Canoga Park, California

Oakland, California

Reseda, California

San Diego, California

Stockton, California

Turlock, California

Ukiah, California

Ellendale, Delaware

Babson Park, Florida

Big Pine Key, Florida

Clermont, Florida

Daytona Beach, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Melbourne, Florida

Mims, Florida

Saint Cloud, Florida

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Trenton, Florida

Wellborn, Florida

Alpharetta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Byron, Georgia

Dacula, Georgia

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Snellville, Georgia

Anna, Illinois

Coatesville, Indiana

Patriot, Indiana

Yale, Iowa

Benton, Kentucky

Ewing, Kentucky

Hebron, Kentucky

Symsonia, Kentucky

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Bush, Louisiana

Dixfield, Maine

Waterville, Maine

Clinton, Maryland

Glen Burnie, Maryland

Halifax, Massachusetts

Spencer, Massachusetts

Golden, Mississippi

Brunswick, Missouri

Conway, Missouri

Salem, Missouri

Beachwood, New Jersey

Millville, New Jersey

Himrod, New York

Lake Grove, New York

South Richmond Hill, New York

West Islip, New York

Yonkers, New York

Beulaville, North Carolina

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Belfield, North Dakota

Medora, North Dakota

Bucyrus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Lebanon, Ohio

Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Glenshaw, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Saint Helena Island, South Carolina

Scranton, South Carolina

Taylors, South Carolina

Memphis, Tennessee(2 reports)

Summertown, Tennessee

Abilene, Texas

Austin, Texas(2 reports)

Desoto, Texas

Euless, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Houston, Texas

Magnolia, Texas

Mc Kinney, Texas

San Antonio, Texas(2 reports)

Draper, Virginia

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Penhook, Virginia

Walkerton, Virginia

Petersburg, West Virginia

show all

Featured Videos


Gardener's Notes:
11 positives 3 neutrals 2 negatives
Sort By:
F

Fatima4444

| December 2020 | Positive
I have lots of pets but my mockingbird is my favourite one. I found him in my yard. I have 3 cats who go outdoors. In short I brought the baby bird home and raised him. He is my biggest love! His name is Birbird. The happiest moment of my life were connectes with my child and my bird. I'm crying now because I haven't seen him for 2 weeks. It's getting freezing cold. He always flew in my garden and came back home when I called him. I happend to be on this website because I was looking for info about mocking birds migration... Once when I lost him for 3 days he found me himself. He knows my car. I was driving a few blocks away from my house when he called me. When I heard his voice I stopped my car and he flew up to me. He is very smart. We developed a strong bond but once my cat scared him... read more
m

ms_lovely

Sun Prairie, WI (Zone 5a) | June 2012 | Neutral
Has anyone else seen a Northern Mockingbird in Madison, WI?
c

coastalzonepush

Orlando, FL (Zone 9b) | January 2012 | Positive
it is very entertaining to watch mockingbirds take on much larger animals like cats and cranes when defending their nests. fills the air with wonderful chattering.
j

jmj_57

Glen Burnie, MD (Zone 7a) | October 2011 | Positive
Absolutely LOVE their range of songs! I will add photos of a Northern Mockingbird nest, eggs, hatchlings and the fledglings. The nest was located in a dwarf colorado spruce near my front picture window in Glen Burnie, MD. I went out and took pictures each day to document the history of this nest. Totally amazing birds. Yes, they are territorial but they are extremely intelligent songbirds.
A

AnnOWL

Monterey, CA (Zone 9b) | April 2010 | Neutral
I heard one giving a very convincing imitation of video game sounds!
K

Kelli

L.A. (Canoga Park), CA (Zone 10a) | April 2010 | Negative
Though the adults have a pleasing song, they peck at my tomatoes, poo on the garden produce, eat my blackberries and spread seeds of invasive plants. The young give off a loud, shrill screech every couple seconds from sunup to dark for three weeks per brood and there are multiple broods per year. They drive DH and I to distraction.
B

BloomingNewYork

New York, NY (Zone 7a) | April 2010 | Positive
Mockingbirds are a very welcome addition to the wildlife in my area. Their songs are remarkably diverse and very beautiful to hear coming from the low branches of a dogwood on a quiet day in May. The only thing that me from hearing their song is the fact that they dont frequently visit my backyard.
p

plantladylin

(Zone 1) | March 2010 | Positive
I love the Northern Mockingbird which is the state bird here in Florida and a very common bird in the south. I find them to be territorial when they are protecting/defending a nest with babies. Their spring song is just beautiful.
r

rogersjo

Scranton, SC (Zone 8a) | October 2009 | Positive
Ditto last comment made on 10/12/09.
He has been diving into windows and mirrows on hubby's truck especially but also house windows.
My husband does not love them the way I do. :-)
I have been worried there was something terribly wrong with it, but evidently this is normal behavior for them?


D

Debitha1

Bush, LA | October 2009 | Positive
I wonder if this bird is just cursed with an overly territorial instinct. I have seen them flinging themselves against their reflections in both my car windows (unoccupied) and the sidelight windows on my front porch . I actually feel bad for the poor thing, as he is so often wont to serenade us with such a beautiful array with so many different instrumentals!
o

obatalov

San Diego, CA (Zone 10b) | September 2009 | Negative
These birds are very territorial and are willing to defend their territory against all intruders. I have seen them chasing crows and other large birds away. They also pester the local cats. Our cat used to walk around on a leash all the time and they would dive-bomb him. Now he stays at home, but they still taunt him from the bush in front of our house with scratchy 'chat' calls. They also are territorial amongst themselves and annoy everyone with their loud raspy calls. The other posts mention their mimicry of other birds' songs, but the only calls we hear are the territorial ones. For me, the negative aspects far outweigh any positive qualities.
n

natureluvver

Philadelphia, PA | September 2009 | Positive
I absolutely love these birds. They usually nest near my yard because they like the grapes and peanutbutter suet I put outside. Sometimes they are so territorial that they chase every single bird, and sometimes squirrels, out of my yard. They've never gone after me. I love their "songs", even in the pre-dawn hours. I think they are very intelligent.
B

BonnieGardens

Clermont, FL (Zone 9a) | June 2009 | Positive
Every day many fly around while I garden. They love the birdbath. They mimic many other birds. When I call to them they come to some of my feeders. They also perch on my fench and watch me work. Great companions. Never have bothered our outside cat who usually accompanies me to the garden also.
r

rampbrat

Abilene, TX (Zone 7b) | June 2009 | Neutral
As a native born Texan, I can't make a negative comment.lol But we've had problems with mockingbirds being very aggressive towards both cats and humans. A pair nested near a friend's driveway and they "dived bombed" anyone who tried to get in the car. I've seen cats with puncture holes from the birds' beaks. They are definately gutsy.
c

chuck7701

McKinney, TX (Zone 8a) | April 2009 | Positive
They love grubs and larva, but do not bother earthworms. If you have some in your area, routinely collect the grubs when digging and put them in a water tray in plain view.

I used to have one around for years that would come eat the grubs out of my hand. New one comes for grubs when I whistle. Always hangs around when I'm working the beds looking for a handout.
S

Sheila_FW

Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a) | December 2008 | Positive
The song of the 'mocker' is a beautiful chorus of calls, and changes with the season. It was adopted as the state bird of Texas in 1927.
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