While they are permanent residents throughout most of the southern and eastern U.S., northern mockingbirds are especially conspicuous in spring. It is then that the male delivers his endless, colorful song and becomes very aggressive, chasing rival suitors from his territory.
Fairly common in suburban residential areas, mockingbirds favor broken country with scattered woodlands in which to nest; the latter is usually a bulky structure of sticks and plant material, hidden among vines, shrubs and immature trees near the edge of a woods. Those who travel along country roads will often see these birds; robin sized, they are easily identified by their light gray plumage, long tail, thin bill and prominent white patches on their wings and tail that become obvious in flight. Highly adaptable, mockingbirds feed primarily on insects and berries, adding seeds to their diet during the colder months.
Like their cousins, the gray catbird and brown thrasher, northern mockingbirds are known for their melodious but varied song, composed of short phrases which, in the case of the mockingbird, are each repeated at least three times. These component phrases usually mimic the song or call of other birds in their region but may reflect other local sounds such as trilling toads, squeaky gates or yappy dogs. Male mockingbirds often sing on moonlit nights and, last week, one settled outside our window; awakened at 3 AM, I listened to his melody for twenty minutes or more and, among other tunes, heard the distinctive notes of a northern bobwhite and the tremulous call of an eastern screech owl.
