Comments on: He’s back

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:11:44 +0000

We have had a mockingbird all winter long here in Hershey. PA. He waits for me to put the mealworms out for the bluebirds and then he takes his share first. I think he may be living in a large forsythia bush located behind our shed. The bush is less then ten feet from where I feed the bluebirds. He does bully the bluebirds but other than that he is just noisy. He isn’t really afraid of me. He will begin to eat before I even get five feet away.

By: Anthony H. Bledsoe

Anthony H. Bledsoe — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:15:29 +0000

Sibley and Monroe (1990) recognize 16 species of mimids that bear the common name “mockingbird”, and the only one to reach as far north as even our southeastern United States is Mimus polyglottus, hence our Northern Mockingbird. The one that comes next closest, in terms of northerly extension, is the Bahama Mockingbird.

By: Vern

Vern — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:22:10 +0000

And why not assume it is the same bird? And even if it isn’t there is a sense of continuity when with each season particular bird(s) show up in our lives.
Vern

By: mph

mph — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:54:40 +0000

So, does he have any good songs in his repertoire? “Truck Backing Up”, “Car Alarm”, “Police Siren”?

I once read that the mimicking might be to indicate the diversity of species that the bird’s territory supports. If the bird knows a lot of songs, it would indicate that he lives somewhere rich enough to support a great diversity of species. This idea has led me to ponder what the bird is thinking when it sings “Truck Backing Up”…

“Hey, pretty ladies! I have a fabulously productive territory! Among numerous other species, it supports a garbage truck! Have you ever seen how much those things eat? Hey, pretty ladies…”