Northern Mockingbird

(Mimus polyglottos)

Where: Richmond, VA • Glidewell Rd.

Notes: After adding a few berry producing plants and shrubs in my Virginia landscape, it was no surprise when the local Mockingbird began to hang around my corner neighborhood lot. Certainly I had hopes for Cedar Waxwings and Bluebirds, but the increasing presence of this bird, to me, is a sign that I am on the right path. This mimicing songster has even gotten protective of a small platform feeder that I occasionally put a few suet-nuggets on. This is another sign that it has staked a claim on that food source in my backyard as its own, as they often do. Northern Mockingbirds eat mainly insects in summer but switch to eating mostly fruit in fall and winter. This common resident is the state bird of five different states: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. Its presence is a nice addition to my local population and reminds me of the importance that habitat plays on all birds, both rare and common.