Mimus polyglottos

(Northern Mockingbird)

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

For the 56,753 species in the Class Aves (Birds), we average 146.51 observations each in our database; for the Northern Mockingbird, we have 4,388 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is moderately common.
A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Northern Mockingbird is the same as the trend in observations of Aves. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is yes, changes in observation rate of this species do not significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class.

Status

The Northern Mockingbird is common in appropriate habitat.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
    - Branch: Protostomia Grobben, 1908 - Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
        Subphylum: Hexapoda Snodgrass, 1938 - Hexapods
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda
        Epiclass: Hexapoda - Hexapods
        Class: Insecta Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia
        Infraclass: Pterygota - Winged Insects
        Order: Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758 - Beetles
        Suborder: Polyphaga Emery, 1886
        Infraorder: Cucujiformia
        Superfamily: Curculionoidea
        Family: Anthribidae - Fungus Weevils
        Tribe: Mimini
        Genus: Mimus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Mockingbirds
        Specific name: polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758)
        Scientific name: Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Physical Description

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Adult:

Bill: blackish Length: short Body: Underparts: gray-white Upperparts: medium gray Tail: blackish gray with white outer feathers Length: long.

Color:

Light gray above and whitish-gray below. During flight, large white patches are visible on the dark gray wings and white outer tail feathers are conspicuous on the dark gray tail. The bill and legs are dark.

Size/Age/Growth:

About 10 inches long, with a wingspan of 13 to 15 inches. Adults weigh about 1.7 ounces.

Images:

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Immature(s) Photographer: H C Ellis
Location Taken: United States Copyright: © H C Ellis. Permissions for Use: see www.ForestryImages.org. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 165074

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: Ryan Hagerty Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Source: http://images.fws.gov/ Permissions for Use: See here. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 73133

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: Gary Kramer Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Source: http://images.fws.gov/ Permissions for Use: See here. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 73925

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: Lee Karney Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Source: http://images.fws.gov/ Permissions for Use: See here. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 73134

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 67703

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: David Stang Date Taken: February 05, 2007
Location Taken: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Copyright: © 2007 David Stang ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 210597

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: David Stang Date Taken: February 17, 2007
Location Taken: Miami MetroZoo, Miami, FL USA Copyright: © 2007 David Stang ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 229044

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Drying wings after a downpour. Photographer: David Stang Date Taken: September 14, 2005
Location Taken: Merrifield Garden Center, Merrifield VA USA Copyright: © 2005 the BayScience Foundation ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 71332

Mimus polyglottos Mimus polyglottos Photographer: David Stang Date Taken: October 10, 2006
Location Taken: The United States National Arboretum, Washington DC Copyright: © 2006 David Stang ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 137044

Distribution

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Range and Population

North America

Habitat

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The Northern Mockingbird lives in a wide variety of natural and human-modified areas and is common in suburban areas and towns.

Vegetation: arid lowland scrubs, arid montane scrubs, arid lowland scrubs, second-growth scrub, tropical lowland evergreen forest, second-growth forests and woodlands, tropical deciduous forests • Minimum Elevation: 0 meters • Maximum Elevation: 3,100 meters • Foraging Strata: Canopy • Center of Abundance: Lower subtropical: lowlands, lower than 500 m.; subtropics. • Relative Abundance in Tropical America: Common • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low.

Diet

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Mockingbirds eat a wide variety of food items, including insects, berries, earthworms, and occasionally small lizards.

Reproduction

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The breeding season lasts from late February through September. Nests are built 1-3 m (3-10 ft) above ground in shrubs and trees. Males build the nest cup with twigs, and females line the nest with grass. The female lays 3 - 5 greenish-blue eggs heavily marked with brown spots and squiggles. The female incubates these for 12 days, and the young are altricial when they hatch. Both the male and female feed the young, which fledge after spending 12 days in the nest.

Breeding Habitat: Urban
Nest Location: Ground-low nesting
Nest Type: Open-cup
Clutch Size: 3-5
Length of Incubation: 12-13 days
Days to Fledge: 11-13
Number of Broods: 2, occasionally 3 or 4

Migration

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Northern populations migrate; most are nonmigratory

Behavior

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In addition to being well-known for its extensive song repertoire, the Mockingbird is notorious for its conspicuous and aggressive nest defense. Mockingbirds are often seen chasing large birds such as crows and hawks away from their nests. Common predators include hawks, owls, and snakes.

Song/Voice

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When Mockingbirds sing, they mimic the songs of other birds, animals, and even machinery. Several different songs are sung consecutively, and each song is usually repeated twice before switching to a different song.

Mimus polyglottos
Recordist: Jim Stasz Copyright Holder: Jim Stasz

Imitating a Blue Jay scolding
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Blue Jay
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Wood Thrush
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Carolina Wren
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Common Flicker
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a digital alarm clock.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Blue Jay.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Carolina Wren.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Phoebe.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Robin scolding.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Tufted Titmouse.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Similar Species

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Bahama Mockingbird, Townsend's Solitaire

Members of the genus Mimus:

There are approximately 51 species in this genus.: M. bauri · M. calandria · M. columbianus · M. dorsalis · M. elegans · M. gilvus · M. gilvus antelius · M. gilvus antillarum · M. gilvus clarus · M. gilvus gilvus · M. gilvus gracilis · M. gilvus leucophaeus · M. gilvus magnirostris · M. gilvus melanopterus · M. gilvus rostratus · M. gilvus tobagensis · M. gilvus tolimensis · M. graysoni (Socorro Mockingbird) · M. gundlachi · M. gundlachii (Bahama Mockingbird) · M. gundlachii gundlachi · M. gundlachii gundlachii · M. gundlachii hillii · M. longicaudatus · M. longicaudatus albogriseus · M. longicaudatus longicaudatus · M. longicaudatus maranonicus · M. longicaudatus platensis · M. longicaudatus ssp · M. longicoudatus · M. melanotis · M. modulator · M. patagonicus · M. patagonikus · M. pollyglottos leucopterus · M. polyglottos (Northern Mockingbird) · M. polyglottos leucopterus (Northern Mockingbird) · M. polyglottos orpheus · M. polyglottos polyglottos (Northern Mockingbird) · M. polyglottos ssp · M. polyglottus (Northern Mockingbird) · M. polyglottus leucopterus · M. polygottos · M. saturninus · M. saturninus arenaceus · M. saturninus frater · M. saturninus modulator · M. saturninus ssp · M. thenca · M. triurus · M. usambaricus

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Notes

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Contributors:

Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed May 11, 2006. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 9 providers.
Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
NatureServe. 2003. Downloadable animal data sets. NatureServe Central Databases. Accessed February 6, 2005.
Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
The Georgia Museum of Natural History and Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Identifiers:

Integrated Taxonomic Information System Serial Number: 178620
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 240094
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABPBK03010
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 274

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Last Revised: February 27, 2008