BIRD TALK: MOCKINGBIRDS

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By Greg Dunne

“Hush, little baby don’t say a word, Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird.”—traditional lullaby

September 13, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- The Northern Mockingbird is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather.  While most other North American birds become silent or migrate in the fall, mockingbirds keep on singing in hopes of landing a mate for next spring.  Males with a good repertoire of song can be a good catch.

It’s a common bird to us, but not everything is common about the Northern Mockingbird. Did you know that they can sing up to 300 songs! President Thomas Jefferson had several pet mockingbirds living with him at the White House, his favorite was named Dick. Jefferson loved to hear Dick sing when the President played his violin.

Inquisitive, smart, always on the alert and well aware of its surroundings, these birds really have it going on upstairs compared to most creatures we run into outdoors. The most amazing thing about the mockingbird is their song, or rather songs. They have the ability to memorize and mimic up to 300 different songs of other birds and have been known to imitate telephone rings, dogs barking, crickets, car alarms and other distinctive sounds.

Mockingbirds can sing two notes simultaneously with the highly coordinated motor patterns of their vocal organs and respiratory muscles – something that no other animal (including humans) is capable of.

Mockingbirds mimic songs of other birds and sound so identical that they cannot be distinguished by us humans from the real bird. They learn this behavior of song from their parents, but soon are able to discover and mimic songs of other birds on their own. They are one of the few birds that can continue to learn songs as they get older. Most songbirds learn their songs at a young age from their parents (mostly the father) and don’t continue to pick up new songs after that time. Mockingbirds love to sing from the tops of trees or other high places that are not obstructed by anything so that their sound can ring out clean and pure. Male mockingbirds will put on a special show of singing when a female is around.

Back to our third president, Thomas Jefferson, and his pet mockingbird, Dick. Jefferson was not the only one to keep Mockingbirds as pets back then. In the 19th century, people kept so many mockingbirds as cage pets that the birds nearly vanished from parts of the east coast. Jefferson kept Dick's cage in a special area in his study, among plants on a windowsill. Jefferson often left Dick’s cage open and allowed him free range of the room. Whenever he had free time, Jefferson and Dick were always side-by-side and Dick liked to sit on Jefferson’s shoulder as Jefferson hummed and worked. Dick would perch on Jefferson’s couch and sing him to sleep after following him step-by-step up the stairs. Jefferson even put food between his lips and the mockingbird would swoop down and take it from him. Dick and Jefferson did duets together – when Jefferson took out his violin and started playing, Dick would pour out his song along with the violin.

The Northern Mockingbird is an omnivore eating insects as well as seeds and fruit. I get visits of mockingbirds to my feeders occasionally and for the most part, they leave the smaller birds alone. They travel alone or in very small groups of two or three.

They have been an influence in our culture for many years in song, book titles and lullabies. They are common throughout America and are the state bird of five great states: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. Intelligent, energetic, and at times aggressive you can hear and see these birds in cities, urban areas, and out in the back country. Enjoy the Mockingbird and all birds in the great outdoors; they are great gifts and partners we have to share the planet with.


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