Northern Mockingbird
(Mimus polyglottos)
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RANGE: Range appears to be expanding northward.
Breeds from southern , east through Idaho, occurs as far
north as Canada, and has been reported into the Northwest
Territories as an accidental, migrates in winter to southern
California, Mexico.
STATUS:
HABITAT: Common in towns, city parks, thickets, residential
neighborhoods, and desert brush. Commonly seen feeding in
pastures, suburban gardens or grassy expanses, which provide
thick, cover nearby for nesting or escape from predators or
weather.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS:
NEST: An area of thick, impenetrable shrubs are selected for the
nest cup, which is built of twigs, grasses, and bark, placed
near the ground on a tree branch or in a thorny shrub. 3-5
blue-green brown spotted eggs are laid early spring.
FOOD: Largely insectivorous, the mockingbird consumes a wide
variety of beetles, grubs, larvae, true bugs, as well as berries
and fruits.
REFERENCES: Peterson.etal; Sibley et al; National Geographic
Society. 1996. Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Second
Edition. National Geographic Society, Washington DC. |
