The Northern Mockingbird is a long-tailed and somewhat short-winged bird, will a dark strong but short beak. It is light gray with black wings that have two distinctive white wing bars that appear to flash when flying. The long tail is black with white edges. It is about 10 inches in length with a wingspan of 13-15 inches. This bird is found throughout the southern half of the United States and appears to be expanding its range northwards, especially in the Northeast U.S. Northern Mockingbirds are also found down into Mexico and northern Central America but it shows up occasionally in Europe as well as Alaska!

Every evening as the sun begins to set, there is a Northern Mockingbird in my yard that flies to the peak of the roof, pouring out sweet songs. He'll move to the fence after a bit, singing new songs, then flit over to the telephone line and continue to sing until the sun goes down as if he's tell the world that all is well. He'll keep a vigilant eye on his nest during the night, ever ready to defend the young birds.

The most numerous songs are sung by males without a mate. Unfortunately, the middle of the night is the time these bachelor birds loudly sing their repertoire, attempting to find an unattached female. My husband has remarked that he is unsure if the females are attracted by the songs or whether they decide to be the male mockingbird's mate so they can get some sleep!

Mockingbirds are primarily insect-eaters, gobbling up the unwary bugs in your yard. They also absolutely love fruit but will eat most anything. These backyard bullies will even chase off other birds from feeders that they are not even interested in using. Northern Mockers will run along the lawn after an insect as well as forage in trees and bushes. In some habitats, they will feast on crayfish, lizards and even small snakes.

Northern Mockingbirds form long-term pairs and together build cup-shaped nests about 3-10 feet off the ground in trees and snags. The nests are built of short sticks, leaves, discarded bits of string and other found materials, and lined with softer materials. The female lays 2-6 eggs and incubates them while the male fiercely defends the territory from predators, anything from another bird, snake, dog, or even a person too close to their nest. The eggs hatch in 12-13 days, and the young birds grow quickly with both parents feeding the hungry brood. 11-13 short days pass and then the the young mockingbirds are ready leave the nest, try their wings, and live on their own.

If you have a mockingbird that drives other birds from your feeders, try setting up a feeder with tempting tidbits that Northern Mockingbirds are fond of eating. Put this feeder separate from the others, preferably with trees or even a house between them. Fill the mockingbird's feeder with goodies like fruit of all kinds, raisins, fresh corn, leftover crusts of bread, raw hamburger, mealworms, holly berries, and even meat scraps. Try hanging a bunch of grapes on the feeder from cups hooks that you can screw into the wood. Once the mockingbird discovers the treats, you'll be sure that he'll come back time and time again.