Northern Mockingbird: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Songbirds of the Americas · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Besides other birds, it copies cats, dogs, frogs and crickets, plus squeaky wheels and even car alarms.
2. Its song list holds 43 to 203 song types depending on the region, and a bird keeps adding new ones throughout its life.
3. In a 2009 study, mockingbirds remembered the one person who had touched their nest and defended against them, while ignoring everyone else.
4. Rival males settle borders with a dance: facing each other on the ground, they hop from side to side until one flies off.
5. In towns, some parents use street and house lights to keep feeding their chicks after dark.

The quiz

1. Which of these sounds can a northern mockingbird imitate?

• Only other birds
• Only its parents' song
• Car alarms (correct)
• No sounds at all, it only sings its own song

It copies animals such as cats and frogs, and machine sounds like car alarms.

2. What happens to a mockingbird's song repertoire as it gets older?

• It keeps growing (correct)
• It shrinks to a single song
• It stays exactly the same from birth
• It is lost every winter

A mockingbird keeps expanding its repertoire throughout its life.

3. In a 2009 study, how did mockingbirds react to the person who had touched their nest?

• They treated everyone the same
• They followed that person to be fed
• They abandoned the nest at once
• They recognised that person and defended the nest (correct)

They recognised the intruder and acted defensively, while ignoring other people.

4. What do rival males do in a 'boundary dance'?

• They fly in circles high in the sky
• They face each other and hop side to side (correct)
• They build nests side by side
• They spread their tails and bow

Facing each other on the ground, they hop side to side until one flies away.

5. What helps some city mockingbirds feed their chicks into the night?

• Moonlight reflected off lakes
• Glowing insects
• Artificial lights (correct)
• Their large night-vision eyes

In residential areas, mockingbirds use artificial lighting to feed nestlings after dark.

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