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Fun Facts
Continued
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Northern Mockingbirds are capable of singing more than
1,000 songs per hour. Mockingbirds are such
entertaining imitators of other bird calls that, at one
time, they were sold in pet stores as mimic songbirds.
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They’re known to open their wings to “flash” their large
white wing patches while running or walking on the
ground. The purpose for this is not understood, but it
may be an attempt to find insects by startling them into
moving or it might be a scare tactic to frighten
predators.
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Northern Mockingbirds are typically monogamous, at least
through the breeding season, with some pairs staying
together for life. Research has recorded some mated
pairs staying together for as long as eight years.
●Adult
Northern Mockingbirds will spend most, if not all of the
year living together in their territory. Nest
building is a cooperative task with males mainly
building the twig foundation while the females construct
the lining.
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Pairs have two to three broods per year. Broods overlap
and females will incubate the next set of eggs while the
males tend to the needs of the new fledglings from the
previous nest. Each brood consists of an average of 3-5
eggs.
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Mockingbirds’ diets consist of equal amounts of fruit
and arthropods (insect and spiders). Northern
Mockingbirds will eat cicadas by using their wings to
knock these large insects to the ground in order to
capture them with their bill.
This past
winter, I had the privilege to have a very attentive
mockingbird eat my mealworms. It was early February and
our front yard was loaded with Robins. I began putting
out a pie tin with live mealworms and suet snack balls.
One morning as I put out the filled pie tin; there was a
quick swoosh next to me and there less than 2 feet from
me was a mockingbird eyeing the food snacks in the tin.
I then noticed he/she had only 1 white tail feather!
As he flew to the nearby holly tree; his flight pattern
was very erratic and at low altitude. I wondered
whether he was pounced upon by a cat and lost his tail
feathers as he flew to save his life!
So every
morning at 6:30 am, he met me at the pie tin to feast
on mealies and suet pieces. I then decided, since his
flight capability was so poor (but hilarious),
to offer him his goodies in the window box so he would
be safer. Throughout the months, his tail feathers grew
in and upon the arrival of spring weather, he was much
more cautious in his behavior when eating the
mealworms. Soon he was no longer "my date" in the
morning. I can only speculate that he found his own
mate and territory and started a family on his own. How
I wish I was a photographer! Best, Sharon
For more
information on mockingbirds, please visit
www.rightbird.com
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