Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos 

Mockingbird perched on hanging basket with suet or lard, circa 2008 

The Northern Mockingbird is a mid-sized songbird that can be found in all regions of the Carolinas throughout the year. While there are sixteen species of mockingbirds across the Americas, the Northern Mockingbird or Common Mockingbird is the only species found in North America. The Mimidae family also includes other birds such as catbirds, thrashers, and tremblers and are unique to the Americas. According to phylogenetic analyses and other DNA research, Mimids are most closely related to Starlings and Mynas and evolved somewhere around 20 million years ago (Wikipedia Mimid). Mockingbirds are ubiquitous in most most the Eastern and Southern United States and are known for their ability to mimic other birds, insects, amphibians, and other noises in their environments (a trait shared by starlings, mynas, Yellow-Breasted Chats, corvids, and certain parrots). Mockingbirds are also among the most frequently encountered birds in the Carolinas and are more common around human settlement and cultivated areas than in natural areas. While they are numerous today and expanding their range, Mockingbirds were once captured for the pet trade as their singing abilities were prized, and like the Northern Cardinal, Painted or Indigo Bunting, and many parrots, they could have been wiped out if it was not for regulations, and protections. The Mockingbird is familiar to most people and has been portrayed in songs, books (like To Kill a Mockingbird), poetry, art, and is even the name of a musical group in the 1950s-60s. After the American Robin, and Northern Cardinal, the Mockingbird might be the third most recognizable songbird in North America and is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. 

Description and Ecology 

Mockingbird, female with insect for young, circa 2010

The Mockingbird is a slender songbird that has a long tail, fairly long legs, and a thin bill that is slightly downcurved. This bird is about the same length as an American Robin or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk but is told by its slim shape, color patterns, and its habits. The Loggerhead Shrike which is a predatory songbird is very similar in appearance, with the possibility that the mockingbird or the shrike may mimic each other (one to scare off other birds, while the other to catch prey off guard). In flight, mockingbirds have broad wings and can resemble Blue Jays or Accipiter Sparrowhawks when flying and will glide across open areas, often close to the ground. 

Plumage: Mockingbirds are generally greyish birds with white or pale undersides, and dark wings and tails. The birds also have white throats, a thin dark eyeline, and may show faint streaks on their sides, although this is difficult to notice in the field. Adults and juveniles both have a pair of white wing bars, while in flight those markings become white wing patches (visible on the top and underwing regions). Males and females are similar in appearance although males may have brighter/larger wing patches and a richer (or yellowish) hue on their undersides, and are usually larger in size. Juveniles show spots or streaks during the first few months of their life. 

Size: Length 24-28cm (9.5-11"), Wingspan 33-38cm (13-15"), approximately the same length as a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, or American Robin.

Song: Mockingbirds have complex songs that consist of a mixture of whistles, chatters, melodic notes, and chanting calls that are mixed with the songs and calls of other birds, amphibians, mammals, and singing insects. Each bird learns its songs as individuals and populations have unique calls and songs, and generally learn sounds from their area. There is evidence that songs are passed down through generations, and can be learned by neighboring populations or dispersing juveniles. As a result, mockingbirds are not always reliable as an means of identifying which species live in an area. Mockingbirds will sing for hours on end with each phrase or series being repeated 3-6 times before the bird switches. Both genders will sing although it is generally the males that will sing from late winter to midsummer, while females often sing in the autumn to defend territories and fruiting shrubs. The songs are often compared to Nightingales which also mimic and have long rambling songs. 

Spring Songs: During the breeding season, males will sing to announce their territories and attract potential mates. At this time of year, songs are loud, and include many phrases. Paired birds usually sing for a brief period from February to May before nesting, and only sing occasionally after building the nest. Unmated males and birds that lost their partners will sing persistently until they attract another female or give up. These birds will often sing at night, especially in urban settings. Mockingbirds also have a flight song as well.

Autumn Songs: In the autumn, Mockingbirds will sing to announce winter territories and fend off shrubs or trees with fruits. This behavior is common in males and females from late September through November, with birds singing only in short bursts, while in the winter, they sing only occasionally. 

Mimicry: In our area, mockingbirds often mimic common species such as cardinals, wrens, vireos, American Robins, Wood Thrushes, Brown Thrashers, Grey Catbirds, finches, and Blue Jays, as well as hawks, seagulls, and terns. The birds may also mimic Green, Barking, or Squirrel Treefrogs, Southern/Fowler's Toads, Spring Peeper, Leopard Frogs, as well as Grey/Fox Squirrels and Chipmunks. Mockingbirds can also learn mechanical sounds such as screeching hinges, police sirens, and car alarms, as well as the whines of toddlers, and certain dog sounds (similar to the Common Starling, and Grey Catbird). In captivity, Mockingbirds may be able to learn human speech. According studies from 1992-2015, Mockingbirds may possess a repertoire of 40-200 song types although a Brown Thrasher may have more than 2000 song types. 

Calls: Mockingbirds can give a wide range of calls with many of them being easy to pick out from other birds. Their main call is a dry clicking call "Chat" that is a contact call, a short whistled "Churrrp", call, and a nasal wheezing or squawking call that sounds like an angry parrot. Mockingbirds will also give cat like mews (not as harsh as the Grey Catbird), as well as cooing call (like a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo). 

Range: Mockingbirds are common in most of the Southern half of North America and have spread northweard into New England, the Upper Midwest, and Great Plains with human habitation. They are generally nonmigratory residents although northern populations may retreat southward. Mockingbirds are also found in California, Baja California, most of Mexico, and and the Southwest, while populations were also introduced in Hawaii, St Helena, Socorro Island, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and Tahiti. Vagrants occasionally turn up in Britain (most recently in March 2021). 

In the Carolinas: Mockingbirds are found throughout North and South Carolina as nonmigratory residents and can be found from barrier islands in the Outer Banks to heathlands along the Blue Ridge Parkway. They are the most numerous in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain where they thrive in suburbs, towns, and cities. In Wilmington as well as Coastal South Carolina, Mockingbirds generally outnumber American Robins on lawns and in parks. Most Mockingbirds rarely stray far from their home range and may only move from the front garden to a nearby hedgerow during the autumn, while juveniles, unmated females, and displaced males may roam greater distances. 

Habitat: This bird is normally found in open or semi-open habitats with scattered shrubs, trees, open grassy areas, or in relatively barren landscapes. Their natural habitats include pine barrens, meadows, old fields, woodland edges, copses, and maritime thickets as well as heathlands. However, Mockingbirds are the most numerous around developed areas and are abundant in suburbs, commercial properties, rural estates, farmyards, village or town commons, and in urban neighborhoods. Mockingbirds will even thrive in the center of major metropolises with the author seeing Mockingbirds in the heart of New York City, Washington DC, and in the busy corridors of New Orleans' French Quarter. Mockingbirds only need shrubs or trees for nesting, open ground for foraging, and a source of fruits, and berries. They benefit from the use of hollies, privets, buckthorns, Cherry Laurels, and other fruit-bearing shrubs in landscapes, mown lawns, and will even nest in topiaries and closely pruned hedges. 

Breeding: Mockingbirds can breed anytime from late February to September and have one of the longest breeding seasons of any bird in the Carolinas. The Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, House Sparrow, and Mourning Dove also have long nesting cycles. Like the other species listed above, the Mockingbird may raise upwards of 3-4 broods per season, and it is not uncommon to find nests with eggs as late as August, or in Mid-February. Mockingbirds generally nest in shrubby areas near open spaces and have an affinity for nesting next to dwellings, doorways, and in landscaped areas of parking lots. This species often shares habitat with other open country birds such as Orchard Orioles, Eastern Kingbirds, Indigo Buntings, or House Finches but will also overlap with Cardinals, Brown Thrashers, Grey Catbirds, and Yellow-Breasted Chats in more shrubby settings. While mockingbirds are highly territorial, they will form loose colonies in suitable habitats and polygamy has been observed with this species. In suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods, nesting territories may be as small as single garden with rival pairs constantly fighting over feeding sites and nests

Nest: Mockingbird nests are generally robust baskets of twigs, sticks, and vines that consist of two or three layers. The outer shell may contain thorny branches from hawthorns or locust, blackberry or smilax canes, or course branches, while the inner layers contain grass, vines, leaves, with feathers, moss, or cottony material for the lining. In urban areas, this species often uses rubbish and other items from the landscape. Examples of items found in nests include cigarette filters, yawn, wrappers, plastic fragments, paper, and ripped landscape fabric. Like many species of wrens, male Mockingbirds will build multiple nests in shrubs and allow the female to select a site. Dummy nests may be used at a later time or may remain unused, possibly to mislead predators, or deter other birds (mockingbirds or otherwise). The nest usually contains 3-6 pale eggs with brown splotches and the breeding cycle lasts around 20-24 days with incubation taking around two weeks.

Diet: Mockingbirds are omnivores that consume a mix of insects, fruits, and occasionally seeds, small vertebrates and other items. Their preferred diet includes earthworms, garden snails, spiders, crickets/katydids, caterpillars, and pillbugs found on lawns, within meadows, or in leaf litter. They also catch flying insects on the wing including dragonflies, cicadas, moths, and bees/wasps, and may also feed on ant swarmers (winged queens and drones), and occasionally take prey from shallow water. On rare occasions, this species will eat small frogs, lizards, and tadpoles. Mockingbirds eat a variety of fruits throughout the year with mulberry, Black Cherry, Pokeweed, blackberries, grapes, viburnum, hollies, privets, hawthorns, and cherry laurels being favorites, although this bird also enjoys rosehips including Rosa multiflora (an invasive species of rose). They occasionally eat tree and plant seeds, poke cultivated tomatoes, and in urban areas might take handouts or food scraps. Some sources also say that they will drink tree sap or nectar from flowers. Mockingbirds may visit bird tables for suet, lard,  mealworms, peanuts, bread, fruits, or other soft foods. 

Status: Mockingbirds are abundant throughout their range and appear to be spreading into new areas as human habitation and agriculture break up forests, while landscaping practices introduce fruit-bearing shrubs and lawns for habitat. Mockingbirds were mostly found in the Southeast and Deep South and only recently spread to places like New York, Coastal Maine, Nova Scotia, and the Upper Midwest. In the Carolinas, the Mockingbird is usually the most numerous songbird in urban and suburban area besides House Sparrows, Rock Pigeons, Starlings, and House Finches, while in virtually every garden likely has a pair of mockingbirds (or several). While their close association with humans has allowed the species to thrive, Mockingbirds are still negatively impacted by pesticides, lawn chemicals, and require a robust insect/invertebrate population to nest. In turn, the success of Mockingbirds may have a negative impact on other species as they will chase or attack other songbirds around nest territories or fruit shrubs, and may destroy nests (a behavior confirmed in Grey Catbirds, House Wrens, and House Sparrows). 

Additional Reading: Cornell All About Bird Profile, Wikipedia Article

Notes

Mockingbird perched atop post in a front garden

Behavior: Mockingbirds are conspicuous and energetic birds that are difficult to overlook. Even people who are not familiar with birds will notice adults perching atop shrubs or on wires, or will see groups chasing each other as they fight over territories. This species is very aggressive and will defend their territories and nest sites from all other species, as well as predators. Mockingbirds are known to attack humans and pets that get too close to nests, although this depends on individuals, and their relationship with residents, and outsiders. They will always attack cats, canine species, Grey or Fox Squirrels, crows, hawks, and grackles, and will also go after Brown Headed Cowbirds if they try to parasitize their nests. Foraging birds run across lawns or grassy areas like plovers, where they visually search for prey, although unlike the American Robin or Common Starling, they also hunt on the wing, or pounce prey from perches or while hovering (akin to the Eastern Bluebird, Kingbird, or Kestrel). Between foraging sessions, Mockingbirds perch on shrubs, wires, branches, chimneys, or fencerows where they watch for intruders, preen, and sing. The birds may also exhibit other behaviors such as jerking their wings up to show their patches, performing loops or circling flights, and standing face to face with another bird, hopping side to side or in circles. The Mockingbird is also very intelligent and shares the curiosity and traits of Paridae tits (especially chickadees, titmice, and Eurasian Tits), corvids, parrots, starlings, and the like). For example, Mockingbirds and other species can distinguish which people or animals are threats and which ones are not, or even determine if a cat or hawk is on the hunt or just passing through. They also use their traits to adapt to urban areas and new environments such as using street lights or security lamps to hunt at night (taking advantage of lacewings, moths, cockroaches, and other nocturnal insects, with less competition or threats), cleverly placing nests in areas that predators avoid such as in front of busy doorways or near another (more harmless) predator, and exploiting opportunities such as food handouts, and insects disturbed from mowing, or garden activities.  

Courtship and Display: Mockingbirds have an elaborate courtship display that is observed during the spring and summer. Since this species may retain mates for life or across several breeding cycles, the courtship rituals are not always seen, and paired birds tend to omit rituals. Males attract females by singing and giving flight displays near open areas. Unpaired males as well as younger birds will sing continuously and rotate between perches to project their voice across the landscape. They will also sing as they fly across their territory, or will perform a circling/gliding flight with a lark-like twittering or chattering song. Other displays include wing waving, loops/summersaults, the border dance, and chasing. Males arrive on their breeding territories in the late winter and begin singing and displaying, although some males, as well as mated pairs will remain in their nesting ranges all winter if there is a reliable food source (giving that pair an advantage). For the first several weeks of the nesting season, males will fight each other, sing, and carry out displays as they reconcile their borders before the females arrive. Juveniles and wandering birds (floaters) may also force their way into an area or try to move into a territory if the previous owner was killed or displaced. While Mockingbirds can fight to the death, most skirmishes result only in chasing, scolding calls, and aerial dogfighting, with the occasional pileup or melee battle. After mating, males may continue to sing or display (sometimes mating with other females) although like most garden birds, the male is usually occupied with nest defense, gathering food, and he is often left with the fledglings while his partner nests. 

Autumn Territorial Behavior "Autumn Wars": One unique behavior amongst Mockingbirds is their habit of defending separate winter territories and their associated behaviors. From late September through November, males and females will claim smaller territories that contain fruit and berry bushes, evergreens, or a bird table with suet or other items. Males and females will sing in short bursts or occasionally for extended periods and engage in aerial fights around contested areas. Juveniles from the breeding season are also chased off during this time. Some mated pairs will remain together throughout the year and work as a team to keep roaming birds, juveniles, and neighbors away from their feeding area. The annual wars peak in October and subside after boundaries are established. 

Winter Life: During the late autumn and winter months, Mockingbirds are quiet and generally inconspicuous. They remain close to their favorite fruit or berry bushes, or lurk within hollies, camellias, hawthorns, or junipers, although dooryard birds may remain faithful to their nest shrubs (if there is also fruits nearby). Individuals or pairs can be found near privets, pyrocanthia, viburnum, hollies, Multiflora Rose thickets, near Virginia Creeper, or hawthorns. Adults rarely sing from November to early February and make only "Chat", mew , and chattering calls, and occasional scolds when there is a fight. Males may sing periodically during sunny days, or moonlit nights. This is also the time when Mockingbirds are most likely to discover a bird table and will become year-round visitors once they arrive (whether they are welcomed or not). Unlike migratory birds like American Robins, Common Starlings, or other "year-round" songbirds that undergo population shifts, Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers rarely go far from their nesting territory. A Mockingbird that nests in a camellia or boxwood outside of a house might spend the winter in the Back Garden or in a neighboring woodlot. Other birds that remain in the same area all year include Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, chickadees and titmice, most woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, House Sparrows, and most hawks, or owls. 

Survival: Mockingbirds generally do well in most environments and can live a long time if they make it past their first year. This species is an example of a bird that does better in urban and suburban settings than in its natural habitat. Mockingbirds that live in gardens, parks, or commercial estates benefit from fewer predators, artificial food sources (like native or nonnative berry bushes, and bird tables), and a landscape that stays consistent. In natural areas, Mockingbirds are limited to grasslands, meadows, and early successional habitat with appropriate cover and may be displaced within two or three years, while humans altered landscapes always contain open areas and shrubs. Additionally gardens and towns also provide habitat for insects and spiders throughout the year (even if pesticides are used) and tend to be several degrees warmer than the surrounding landscape. This makes it possible for birds and reptiles to find insect prey in the dead of winter while the urban heat island effect may lead to insects emerging on fairly cool days if there is full sun (like bees and ants emerging when it hits 5C or 41F with a sidewalk being heated by the sun). The main threats to Mockingbirds are birds of prey, feral or outdoor cats, crows, and sometimes Loggerhead Shrikes, while nests and fledglings can fall victim to mammalian predators, crows, jays, snakes, and even fire ants. The Sparrowhawk species, notably Cooper's Hawk and Sharp Shinned Hawks pose a major threat to adult Mockingbirds, while owls, and Bueto Buzzards (specifically Red-Shouldered Hawks) pose a lesser threat. Human-related threats include collisions with windows, towers, or automobiles, nests being knocked over during hedge trimming, and pesticide use. Cowbirds do parasitize Mockingbirds readily with some birds destroying or removing eggs, while others end up raising cowbirds chicks. 

Cultural Significance: The Mockingbird is an iconic bird in North America and has been popularized in art, literature, music, and symbolism. In the Southern United States, this bird is as ubiquitous as the Robin in the Northeast with five southern states featuring it as a state bird. Elsewhere, this species is associated with books such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a number of lullabies and folk songs, and Thomas Jefferson's pet bird, Dick, the Mockingbird. Like other familiar garden birds like the Cardinal, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Carolina Wren, chickadees, Song Sparrow, and Baltimore Oriole, Mockingbirds are often featured on bird-related items such as singing clocks, shirts, packaging for birdseed, or websites. 

Impacts on Humans: Mockingbirds provide a many benefits to humans but may also be considered nuisances. This bird consumes many garden and household pests including cockroaches, grasshoppers, katydids, snails, slugs, and various flying insects, while being adaptable enough to thrive in city centers where other insectivorous birds are absent. A nesting pair can consume thousands of caterpillars, beetle grubs, plant eating bugs or beetles, and sawfly larvae, with at least three nesting cycles per year, meaning that a vegetable garden may have fewer problems with leaf insects. The Mockingbird can also bring life to urban and suburban areas and are approachable by humans. People also love their songs which was why they were trapped and sold as pets until the practice was outlawed (some of the tropical species may still be trapped in the Caribbean or Latin America)

However, this species can also cause some problems in our gardens. Mockingbirds consume fruits year-round and will eat cultivated fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, or tomatoes, and in small gardens a single pair can wipe out a crop (plus other species like Starlings, or waxwings). On a larger scale, this species and most common songbirds do not have much of an impact on fruits or citrus and from my experience an established blackberry bramble, grapevine, mulberry bush, or fig tree will have more than enough fruits for people to harvest, even if birds consume some of the fruits. Some people also find the Mockingbird's loud song to be an annoyance, especially when young or divorced males sing at night or near streetlamps. The biggest issue with Mockingbirds and the the Grey Catbird is that they will sometimes attack humans, or pets that get too close to their nest. While this is mostly an annoyance, bird attacks can lead to accidents when someone is on a ladder or using power tools, and Mockingbirds and Thrashers can inflict wounds with their feet or talons. I have also read of instances where mail carriers refused service because of aggressive Mockingbirds. However, in most cases, the birds rarely bother people and in my experience I have only been attacked or divebomb by Grey Catbirds (the only bird that actually attacked me), Eastern Bluebirds, and Common Terns. 

Garden Information 

Urban greenspaces and parking lots are often home to Mockingbirds even if there are only a few shrubs or tree around

Mockingbirds thrive in suburban and urban landscapes and is a guarantee in about every garden or park in the Cape Fear Region. This species needs very little to survive with suburban lawns, shrubs, and a few trees being all that is needed for a pair to move in. In most towns, cities, and suburbs, Mockingbirds tend to live in front gardens, common areas, apartment complexes, dooryards, or other open settings, while back gardens and heavily wooded properties are less favorable. Because of their adaptable nature and preference for manicured landscapes, Mockingbirds are among the easiest birds to attract to your garden. However, like other successful species, Mockingbirds can also bring many problems, and will likely drive off other birds if they claim a birdfeeder or decide to nest in your garden. In turn, they can also bring many benefits such as controlling garden pests, fending off cats, hawks, and owls, and allowing adults and children to experience the excitement of finding a bird's nest and watching the brood develop. 

Landscaping: You don't need to do anything special to your landscape to attract Mockingbirds. Chances are, your garden is already an ideal nest site and there probably one pair for each house in your neighborhood (if not more). I encourage gardeners and homeowners to focus on attracting other species that need more habitat diversity. Most improvements made for birds such as cardinals, wrens, small woodland birds (chickadees, nuthatches, etc), warblers, thrushes, and orioles will also benefit Mockingbirds. In fact, it might be a good idea to reduce your lawn, add flowerbeds or meadow gardens, and install hedgerows to boost ecological value for birds. Mockingbirds tend avoid lush gardens or wooded areas, but will readily use hedgerows, woodland edges, and brambles (blackberries, or raspberries) for nesting. Fruit-bearing shrubs and trees are a must if you want to host Mockingbirds through the winter. 

Like most birds, Mockingbirds need insects, snails, and spiders to feed their young. Flowering plants, shrubs, and vines (especially native plants) will lead to improved nesting success as flowerbeds contain snails, katydids, crickets, and butterfly/moth caterpillars. Lawns can be "improved" by allowing weeds and wildflowers (like clover, Lyre-Leaved Sage, coreopsis, dandelions) to thrive, mowing at a slightly higher setting, resisting the urge to use pesticides or lawn chemicals to solve cosmetic issues. This will not only improve foraging habitat for Mockingbirds and American Robins but might bring other birds such as Killdeers, White Ibis, Field, Song, or Chipping Sparrows, House Finches, and Indigo Buntings that also feed on invertebrates or weed seeds. Many of the garden improvements I have recommended for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and beneficial insects will likely reduce the habitat for Mockingbirds. However, Mockingbirds are highly adaptable and a pair that is displaced from one area will likely just move next door, or to your foundation shrubs, shade tree, or driveway. 

Plant Selections: One of the easiest ways to attract birds to your garden is to include shrubs, trees, or vines that produce fruits or berries. Mockingbirds, Grey Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Starlings, American Robins, Wood Thrushes, and Hermit Thrushes all prefer the same types of fruits and will gravitate towards these plants from late summer through the winter. The following list includes fruit-bearing plants that are favored by Mockingbirds and other fruit-eating birds. I do not recommend planting invasive exotic plants such as Chinese or Glossy Privet, European Buckthorn, Multiflora Rose, Tallow Tree, Callary/Bradford Pear, Porcelain Berry, Barberry, or Chinaberry as the plants will takeover woodlands and parks, and reduce biodiversity. Songbirds are very efficient seed dispersers and can the seeds can survive in the stomachs of birds or mammals, allowing them to germanite from droppings. 

    Trees

Black Cherry, a favorite summer attractant for Mockingbirds and other fruit eaters

• Hackberry 
• Southern of Sweet Bay Magnolia
• Serviceberry 
• Sparkleberry 
• Southern Dogwood, Red-Twig Dogwood, other species
• Black Cherry or Chokecherry 
• Blackgum or Water Tupelo (near water)
• Crabapples and Hawthorns (native species)
• Most Apples, Peaches, or other cultivated fruits
• American Holly
• English or Japanese Holly (not known to be invasive)
• Carolina Cherry Laurel 
• Persimmon
• Red Mulberry (this one can be messy near sidewalks or walkways)

Shrubs 

Flowers of a Common Blackberry 

• Viburnum (especially Arrowood, Maple-Leaf Viburnum, Nannyberry)
•  American Beautyberry 
• Blueberries and Huckleberries 
• Elderberry 
• Pokeberry/Pokeweed (actually a nonwoody perennial with a shrublike form)
• Yaupon Holly, Inkberry, Winterberry, other hollies 
• Winged, or Staghorn Sumac 
• Brambles (Blackberry, Raspberry)
• Carolina Rose, or Swamp Rose (Ornamental Tea Rose hips are also eaten)
• Figs (not invasive in our region)

Vines

Fruits of Dewberry, a vining blackberry species

• Virginia Creeper 
• Peppervine (recommended for hedgerows rather than formal areas, aggressive)
• Smilax (use in hedgerows or woodland gardens, aggressive)
• Coral Honeysuckle (more of a shrub, flowers also attract hummingbirds, orioles)
• Muscatine, Summer, or other grapes 

Other Plants 

Mockingbird on Common Pokeweed 

• Partridgeberry 
• Bunchberry (a groundcover related to dogwoods)
• Nightshade (birds can eat the berries without harm

Mockingbird feeding young, this is same garden as the picture above in 2010

Nesting: Mockingbirds generally nest in shrubs or small trees with most birds nestling less than 2m (6ft) above the ground. This bird as well as the Northern Cardinal will readily nest next to human dwellings and will use foundation shrubs, small specimen trees, ivy or Virginia Creeper growing up walls, or manicured hedges separating properties (I have seen pairs that successfully raise their young after landscaping crews or homeowners trimmed the shrubs they were nesting in). The Mockingbird will even nest in tightly pruned shrubs in high traffic areas like urban sidewalks, parking lots, or your front door. This species prefers evergreen shrubs such as Wax Myrtle, hollies, boxwoods, camellias, Red Cedar, Common Juniper, or Leyland Cypress, but will also use deciduous shrubs. They also prefer forking branches, tangled vines, or cane like growth, making coppice, or colony-forming shrubs (as well as blackberry brambles and climbing roses) especially attractive. Hawthorns, Osage Orange, Black Locust, crabapples, and evergreen hollies also have extra protection from cats, and snakes in the form of thorns or prickly leaves. Later in the season, Mockingbirds may choose to nest in trees such as Crepe Myrtle, dogwood, or the lower branches of a maple, oak, or hemlock/spruce tree, while young pines, are used on occasion. In general, any shrub or tree with a sturdy branch structure, thorns and/or evergreen foliage will work for Mockingbirds, while trellised vines, climbing roses, or a patch of blackberries are also useful.

Adding hedgerows, and shrubby borders will improve nesting habitat substantially as most garden birds nest less than 3m (10ft) above the ground and choose shrubs, vines or small trees. One thing to note to keep in mind is that Mockingbirds, Grey Catbirds, and Brown Thrashers can be aggressive around their nests and may attack people and pets. If a Mockingbird is preventing you from using your door, getting to your driveway, or blocking the mail person, consider planting shrubs or vines in another area to draw the birds away, while pruning the plants in the problem area (when the birds are not nesting). You can also relocate the affected items or sitting areas until the birds are finish.

Bird Table Information

Mockingbird on window feeder at townhouse with Red-Bellied Woodpecker holding his ground, 2019

While Mockingbirds usually do not come to conventional birdfeeders with seeds, they will visit suet cages, mealworm feeders, or open bird tables and hopper feeders with peanuts, fruits, or premium seed mixes containing dried fruits, shelled sunflower seeds, or soft foods. You can also attract them with peanut butter, table scraps, and other soft foods. Once the resident pair finds the feeder, they will likely visit regularly. Feeder discovery is most likely to occur during the autumn and winter when birds are relocating to berry bushes or when juveniles are dispersing. While Mockingbirds can be entertaining and are attractive birds, they will quickly wear out their welcome. This species will drive off your other birds, including from seed feeders, and other stations within his/her line of sight. Left unchecked, a Mockingbird pair can prevent most other birds from coming to the feeder including orioles, tanagers, warblers, Carolina Wrens, and Hermit Thrushes which are reluctant to come to bird tables. They may also drive off hardier birds like cardinals, or chickadees, and can even drive away Blue Jays, Starlings, or Red-Bellied Woodpeckers which in themselves are aggressive.

At my feeder stations, I generally discourage Mockingbirds by chasing them off, avoiding foods that attract them (or putting mealworms and suet in feeders that deter larger birds). Like squirrels, Mockingbirds can easily learn ways around your security measures and will find their way in sooner or later. I have observed Mockingbirds hanging from inverted suet cages, landing on window mounted feeders, or hovering near covered mealworm feeders to grab the contents (or to knock the contents as they attack it). Even if they are locked out of the feeder, Mockingbirds may still chase off the other birds. 

The best ways to avoid Mockingbird interactions is to place feeders and bird tables away from fruit or berry sources, or shrubs that are being used as nest sites. Residents in rural or wooded neighborhoods are less likely to have problems with Mockingbirds and the birds out in the countryside are also less likely to be accustomed to bird tables or handouts in parks. Another workaround is to have feeding stations in different areas of the property so the Mockingbird will have to defend multiple areas at once, allowing the shier species to feed. You can also give the birds their own feeder with suet, mealworms, or fruits. The same strategy applies for birdbaths and water features. Aside from Mockingbirds, Ruby-Throated or Rufous Hummingbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, Pine Warblers or during the winter Myrtle Warblers (Yellow-Rumped Warblers) can also cause similar issues if they get too comfortable at a feeder. Spreading out feeder areas should help to reduce conflicts, while for Bluebirds, it is always a good idea to keep birdhouses and feeder stations in separate areas.