Birds · Passeriformes · Mimidae

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The northern mockingbird, known in Spanish as cenzontle común or sinsonte norteño, is a species of passerine bird of the family Mimidae native to North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Adults are grey on the upperparts, with pale yellow eyes and a slightly curved black bill. The tail is dark with white edges, and the legs are long and black. The wings show fine white lines, and in flight reveal white patches on the wings and two white lengthwise stripes on the tail. They are known for imitating the sounds of other animals.

Weight

40 g – 58 g

Size

21 cm – 26 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestGrasslandOmnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Temperate forest Grassland

35countries 54parks

Fun facts

GeneralIt mimics over 200 different sounds, car alarms and other birds included.
comunicaciónIt can learn and take up the songs of dozens of other birds, along with man-made sounds, widening its repertoire all its life.
A male can build up two hundred different imitations over his life, and renews part of the repertoire every season: he takes in other birds, frogs, car alarms and doorbells.
It recognises people as individuals: in an experiment at the University of Florida, the mockingbirds selectively attacked the particular person who had approached their nest days earlier, ignoring others dressed the same way.
Unpaired males sing at night as well, and that nocturnal persistence is a common complaint in American residential neighbourhoods in spring.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Gardens, city parks, hedgerows, scrub and field margins of North America and the Caribbean
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 12 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimus_polyglottos