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Mockingbirds
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Abundance: Common urban bird
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Length: 10 inches
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Weight: 1¾ ounces
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Wing Span: 14 inches
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General description: Diurnal, omnivore, altricial. Mockingbirds
are medium sized birds, gray above and pale below. They
have white wing patches and outer tail feathers, slender
black beaks and legs.
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Diet: Insects, friut, crustaceans and small vertebrates
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Unmated male mockingbirds sing more than mated ones. Both sexes sing
in the fall to claim winter feeding territories. These areas are often
different than their spring breeding territories. Mockingbirds mimic
other bird’s songs. They have also been known to imitate other sounds
they hear such as rusty hinges, whistling and dogs barking. It is
thought that the wing-flashing they do helps to flush insects and
confuse predators.Mockingbirds often form long-term pair bonds. Mockingbirds
vigorously defend their territory against many other species including
dogs, cats and man! Female mockingbirds often build a new nest while
the males finish feeding older fledglings and teaching them to fly.
Scientists have found that female mockingbirds are attracted to males
that can make the most different sounds. Mockingbirds are the state
bird of Texas and one of the few birds found in every kind of habitat,
from desert to forest to city. Mockingbirds are thought to raise and
lower their wings in order to scare up a meal of insects, frighten
snakes and impress their mates. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
November
19, 2004