A Beginner's Guide to the Mockingbird

"Hush little baby don't say a word, mamma's gonna buy you a mockingbird."

How many times did you hear that song as a child? Mama sang of giving us mocking bird's to make us stop crying. So what is so special about a mockingbird that it made it's way into a song to make children happy?

Well, mockingbird's are renowned singers. The male mockingbird starts to develop his singing repertoire at a young age, mimicking the calls of other birds with perfection. These various bird songs are repeated...over and over again. Many mockingbird's will add to their milieu the sounds of people whistling, door bells ringing, the sound of a squeaky gate hinge and other human made sounds. All male mockingbird's sing, however only lone males without a mate will continue to serenade well into the evening hours, singing their "love song" in hopes of finding a mate.

Many people love the sounds of a mockingbird, but since they are birds that will sing, incessantly, into the evening hours, many others find them to be nothing but a nuisance. Since the mockingbird mimics the sound of other bird songs, you may have a hard time telling what species of bird it is you are hearing singing. Identifying a mockingbird however, is quite simple.

First of all, mockingbird's only live in specific areas of the world. And since they are non-migrating birds, they remain in these areas year round. Mocking birds can be found in all areas of North America, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas and the Antilles. Mocking bird's can be found in almost any habitat, from the barren desert to the bustling city. They do however, tend to prefer more open and grassy areas for feeding, and thick shrubs or trees to build their nests in.

The Northern Mockingbird is the most widely spread of the mockingbird species. There are other species of mockingbird's as well, including the Blue, Chalk-browed, San Cristobal, Hood, Charles, Galapagos, Chilean, Bahama and the Tropical. Mockingbird's are slender, medium sized birds. Most mockingbird's are generally light gray, with an even lighter color belly. They have white wing patches and white outer tail feathers. The mockingbird averages about 9 inches long, with a wing span of about 14 inches.

If you enjoy mockingbird's and would like to attract them to your home, you can easily do so by placing foods that they eat in your yard. Mockingbird's are omnivorous, which means they eat both insects and fruit and vegetables. Insects such as ants, beetles, butterflies and grasshoppers greatly appeal to the mockingbird, as do earthworms, crustaceans and small lizards. Mockingbird's also enjoy fruit, whether it is cultivated fruit that you grow, or wild fruit that is native to where you live.

Mockingbird's are not big fans of standard bird feeders, since they are not seed eaters, but you can help to attract mockingbird's to your yard by placing the foods they enjoy on special bird fruit feeders or platform feeders. You can also purchase suet feeders to hang from trees which they will greatly enjoy. Mockingbird's begin to build their nests during February and March, so during those times you could make nesting materials available to them, which will also help attract them to your yard.

While the mockingbird may be a nuisance to some, to others they are a great joy. If you enjoy bird watching and have a backyard habitat in your yard, the mockingbird is a great addition that you will be sure to enjoy.