I was thrilled to see my favorite bird, the Northern Mockingbird, within fairly close distance. They usually sing from the highest post available. Their song is incredible –a surprising number of different sounds, each repeated.
CornellLab tells me, in summary: They mimic sounds they hear. They go on learning new sounds throughout their lives. The song is a long series of phrases, with each phrase repeated 2-6 times before shifting to a new sound.
I once heard one imitate perfectly the sound of a car alarm.
Very nice! The mockingbird is also exceptionally territorial and aggressive. When I lived in Charlotte, I had a male that terrorized anyone walking along the sidewalk in his "hood"🤣
ReplyDeleteGood catch! I like mockingbirds too, but as John said they aren't exactly cuddly. We have a tree close to our balcony where a particular mockingbird used to hang out. One night we recorded his song, and the next night we played it back while he was nearby. He started to imitate it.
ReplyDeleteNice close up of the famous Mockingbird
ReplyDeleteOh wow ... So that is a mockingbird.... I am impressed!!
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