k dogs,
cats, squirrels, and people. Even in winter, if you have a feeder up that
is attracting hoards of birds. Mr. Mockingbird will go nuts to the point
of frustration trying to chase everyone out of “his” area. He’ll chase
starlings and blue jays in particular, although the blue jays along with
grackles are seldom impressed.
Mockingbirds feed mostly
on insects in spring and summer. They have an unusual feeding habit of
running over the ground then raising and flicking, or flashing its wings.
The activity is thought to scare up insects by the movement and shadow
it causes, although no one really knows for sure. They turn to wild fruits
and berries in fall, feeding on poke berries, serviceberries, cherries,
blueberries, cedar berries, pyracantha berries, bayberries, smilax (green
briar), and elderberries.
Mockingbirds nest in low trees or shrubs beginning in April. They especially
like the thick growths like bush honeysuckle, holly, photinia or pyracantha
(fire thorn). The female builds a loosely woven affair of twigs, plant
fibers, string, cloth, hair, or even paper shreds. The three to five eggs
are a pale greenish-blue, and are spotted and splashed with a deep reddish-brown.
The young hatch in about 14 days and fledge a couple of weeks later. While
still being fed by the parents, they utter a continual almost aggravating
“twangy,” nasal, jay-like call, as they beg for food.
More northerly-breeding mockingbirds will migrate to warmer areas, but
those in the south usually stick around their breeding grounds throughout
the year, although some may wander southward during severe winters.
