Northern Mockingbird
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae Genus: Mimus Species: M. polyglottos
Binomial name
Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758)
Northern Mockingbird range Green = all-year, yellow = summer only

The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1024, 261 KB)Northern Mockingbird -- Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Canada -- 2005 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera Cinclocerthia Dumetella Margarops Melanoptila Melanotis Mimodes Mimus Nesomimus Oreoscoptes Ramphocinclus Toxostoma The Mimids are a New World family of passerine birds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. ... Mimus is a genus of bird in the Mimidae family. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Year 1758 (MDCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Mockingbird (disambiguation). ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

The Northern Mockingbird breeds in southeastern Canada, the United States, northern Mexico, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and the Greater Antilles. It is replaced further south by its closest living relative, the Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus. The endangered Socorro Mockingbird is, contrary to previous opinion, also closely related.^[1][2] The Greater Antilles, an island group in the Caribbean Sea, are part of the Antilles. ... Binomial name Mimus gilvus (Vieillot, 1808) The Tropical Mockingbird, Mimus gilvus, is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico south to northern Brazil, and in the Lesser Antilles and other Caribbean islands. ... An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... Binomial name Mimodes graysoni Lawrence, 1871 The Socorro Mockingbird, Mimodes graysoni, is an endangered mockingbird endemic to Socorro in the Revillagigedo Islands. ...

This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has occurred in Europe as an extreme rarity. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Ecology

A Northern Mockingbird taking shelter from the rain in a Weeping Holly tree.

Mockingbird feeding a chick.

These birds forage on the ground or in vegetation; they also fly down from a perch to capture food. They mainly eat insects, berries and seeds. While foraging they frequently spread their wings in a peculiar two-step motion to display the white patches. There lacks consensus among ornithologists over whether this behavior is purely a territorial display, or whether the flashing white patches startles insects into giving up their cover. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... Binomial name Ilex vomitoria Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), also called cassina (a name shared with the Dahoon Holly), is an evergreen holly found in the southeast United States. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ornithology (from the Greek ornitha = chicken and logos = word/science) is the branch of biology concerned with the scientific study of birds. ...

The Northern Mockingbird builds a twig nest in a dense shrub or tree. It aggressively defends this nest and the surrounding area against other birds and animals, including humans. When a predator is persistent, Mockingbirds from neighboring territories, summoned by a distinct call, may join the attack. Other birds may gather to watch as the Mockingbirds harass the intruder.

Mockingbirds' willingness to nest near houses, loud and frequent songs, and territorial defense often annoy people. John van der Linden, author of the Eastern Birding Central FAQ, reports 25 to 50 percent of the e-mail questions he receives are concerned with how to deal with annoying mockingbirds.

Mockingbirds have a strong preference for certain trees such as maple, sweetgum, and sycamore. They generally avoid pine trees after the other trees have grown their leaves. Also, they have a particular preference for high places, such as the topmost branches of trees. Mockingbirds are often found in urban and suburban areas, where they perch on telephone poles, streetlights, or high points on buildings. While singing on a high perch they will often bolt several feet into the air in a looping motion, with wings outstretched to display their white underside, then land back on the perch without breaking a note. This action serves as a territorial display. Distribution Species See List of Acer species Trees or shrubs in the genus Acer are commonly called Maples. ... Species Liquidambar formosana Liquidambar orientalis Liquidambar styraciflua The sweetgums Liquidambar are a genus in the witch-hazel family Hamamelidaceae, with three species of large deciduous trees, 25-40m tall, with palmately lobed leaves: Liquidambar formosana - Chinese Sweetgum (central & southern China, Taiwan). ... Species See text. ... For other uses, see Pine (disambiguation). ...

Song and calls

Although many species of bird imitate other birds, the Northern Mockingbird is the best known in North America for doing so. It not only imitates birds but also other animals and mechanical sounds such as car alarms. As convincing as these imitations are to humans, they often fail to convince other birds, such as the Florida Scrub-Jay. Binomial name Aphelocoma coerulescens (Bosc, 1795) The Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is one of four species of scrub jay native to North America. ...

Northern Mockingbird eggs

Northern Mockingbird chick.

The Northern Mockingbird's mimicry is likely to serve as a tool for increasing the size of its repertoire and thus its ability to attract females. The Mockingbird is limited to imitating short units of sound, which it repeats several times before moving on to a new sound. As a result, the Mockingbird sounds much better (to a human ear) imitating some species than others. Species with repetitive songs, such as the Carolina Wren are effectively copied, but species with long, complex songs, such as the Song Sparrow, cannot be effectively imitated by the Mockingbird. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 579 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (720 × 745 pixel, file size: 731 KB, MIME type: image/png) Photo of Northern Mockingbird eggs I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 579 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (720 × 745 pixel, file size: 731 KB, MIME type: image/png) Photo of Northern Mockingbird eggs I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 558 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (969 × 1041 pixel, file size: 65 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 558 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (969 × 1041 pixel, file size: 65 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Binomial name Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) Subspecies The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a common species of wren resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. ... Binomial name Melospiza melodia (Wilson, 1810) The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized sparrow. ...

The Northern Mockingbird, in addition to being a good mimic, is also one of the loudest and most constantly vocal of birds. It often sings through the night, especially unmated males, or when the moon is full. It sings year-round except sometimes for the late-summer moulting season. Individual males have repertoires of 50 to 200 songs; females sing as well, but more quietly and less often than males. Mockingbirds usually sing the loudest in the twilight of the early morning when the sun is on the horizon.

In addition to its well-known song, the Northern Mockingbird utilizes a variety of calls to communicate specific information. As with its song, these calls are among some of the louder sounds produced by birds of its size. Mockingbirds make a harsh, raspy noise when chasing other birds out of their territory. A similar but distinct call is used when defending against predators like a hawk or falcon. Other calls include a wheezing noise, a "chuck" note, and a very piercing series of notes "high low" repeated twice.

Mockingbird in US culture

Northern Mockingbirds are common backyard visitors in the southern half of the United States and are very well habituated to humans.

• This is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, all southern states.

• The "Mockingbird" is celebrated in a song of the same name by Barclay James Harvest, and in the title and central metaphor of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In said novel, mockingbirds are portrayed as innocent and generous, and one of the major characters (Miss Maudie) says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.

• The traditional American lullaby "Mockingbird" has been recorded in numerous musical styles. The lyrics refer to the fact that Northern Mockingbirds were once popular as pets and begin:

Hush little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing,

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

• Other songs: Mockin' Bird Hill, Listen to the Mockingbird

Scrappy the Moc

• To Mock a Mockingbird is a book of logic puzzles by Raymond Smullyan based on combinatory logic.

• The mascot of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga since 1996 is an anthropomorphized mockingbird, or "Moc", named Scrappy

• In the PBS series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, King Friday XIII made a pet of a wooden bird on a stick, who he called Mimus polyglottos. This stick-bird moved up and down when it spoke to King Friday, but it spoke in musical chimes that only the members of the show could understand. King Friday would often sing a detailed song to his bird, with the repeated lyrics "Mimus polyglottos is my pet.." and ending with "Have you met my pet yet?"

• In American Poet, Walt Whitman's, poem Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, the second line reads " Out of the mocking-bird's throat, the musical shuttle,".

• President Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird named Dick.[1] [2]

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 581 pixelsFull resolution (832 × 604 pixel, file size: 771 KB, MIME type: image/png) Northern mockingbird on a wooden post. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 581 pixelsFull resolution (832 × 604 pixel, file size: 771 KB, MIME type: image/png) Northern mockingbird on a wooden post. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Barclay James Harvest is a British rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences. ... To Kill a Mockingbird is a Southern Gothic bildungsroman novel by Harper Lee. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American novelist known for her Pulitzer Prize–winning 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, her only major work to date. ... For other uses, see Lullaby (disambiguation). ... Mockin Bird Hill is a popular song. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Raymond Merrill Smullyan (born 1919) is a mathematician, logician, philosopher, and magician. ... Not to be confused with combinational logic, a topic in digital electronics. ... Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Mister Rogers Neighborhood or Mister Rogers is an American childrens television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. ... King Friday XIII (pronounced Friday the Thirteenth) is, in Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the monarch who rules over the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. ... Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ...

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Mimus polyglottos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Journal of Avian Biology is a peer-reviewed ornithological journal published bimonthly, currently by Blackwell on behalf of the Nordic Society OIKOS. Before 2004, there were only 4 issues per year. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mimus polyglottos

• Northern Mockingbird from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
• Northern Mockingbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Northern Mockingbird Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
• Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter