Mockingbirds are about 10 inches long.
Mockingbirds are light gray with a white belly. Their wings and long tail are dark gray with white patches. They have black legs and perching feet. They have a long, thin beak. They have yellow eyes.
Male mockingbirds are darker and bigger than females.
Young mockingbirds are gray with spotted chests.
What do mockingbirds do?
Mockingbirds like to live near the seashore. They can live in forests and cities.
Mockingbirds live all across the southern United States.
Mockingbirds do not migrate.
Mockingbirds eat insects and berries.
Mockingbirds copy the calls of many other birds. They copy one bird two or three times, then go to another bird call. Mockingbirds know 25-30 different songs.
Mockingbirds fly short distances from tree to tree or across fields. They do not fly higher than trees.
Mating and Babies
Female mockingbirds build their nests in woods or thick bushes near the ground. They use dried twigs, leaves, grass, and cotton to make a cup-shaped nest.
The female lays 5 eggs. The eggs are oval, light green, and spotted with reddish-brown. While the female sits on the eggs, the male brings her food. She sits on the eggs for 12-13 days.
Mockingbirds lay eggs 2 or 3 times in a summer.
Mockingbirds are fierce when protecting their nest. They will swoop down on a dog, car, or other predator.
Mockingbird chicks get their adult feathers after 11-13 days.
The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
Snakes like to eat mockingbird eggs or chicks. When a snake comes along, all the mockingbirds around will attack it.
Sometimes a mockingbird will sing all night long.