The mockingbird was adopted as the Arkansas State Bird by the Forty-seventh General Assembly of 1929. The mockingbird can imitate the song of many other birds.
The Mimus polyglottos, as the mockingbird is known scientifically, is about ten inches in length, including its relatively long tail. It has a light gray coat and a whitish underside. Its wings and tail are darker gray with white patches. The male and females look alike.
Juvenile has spotted breast.
The common mockingbird is a superb songbird and mimic. Its own song has a pleasant lilt, varied and repetitive. Often it will sing all night long, especially in bright springtime moonlight. Unmated male mockingbirds sing more than mated ones. Both sexes sing in the fall to claim winter feeding territories. These areas are often different than their spring breeding territories.
The song of the mockingbird is, in fact, a medley of the calls of many other birds, each repeated several times. It will imitate other species' songs and calls, squeaky gates, pianos, sirens, barking dogs, etc. Each imitation is repeated two or three times, then another song is started, all in rapid succession. In the above sample audio file, the songs of four distinct species were recorded in the span of about seven seconds. It is common for an individual bird to have as many as 25-30 songs in its repertory.
The mockingbird is also known as a fierce protector of its nest and environment. It is sometimes seen swooping down on a dog, cat or predator that may be venturing too close to the bird's protected territory.
Abundance: Common urban bird
Length: 10 inches
Weight: 1¾ ounces
Wing Span: 14 inches
General description: Diurnal, omnivore, altricial
Sexual maturity : 1 year
Mating season: Spring and early summer. Mockingbirds usually nest twice a year sometimes 3 or 4 times when conditions are favorable.
Breeding territory: 1 pair per 20 acres
Gestation: Eggs hatch in 12-13 days, the young fledge 11-13 days after that.
Number of young: Eggs are blue-green with brown markings. The 2-6, usually 3-5, eggs per nest are a pale blue-greenish with brown spots.
Nest Location:Ground-low nesting
Nest Type:Open-cup The nest, a joint male/female project, is a bulky, open cup of grass, twigs and rootlets carelessly arranged in a dense.
Migration Status:Permanent resident. This year-round resident is known for its fierce defense of the family nest.
Diet: Mockingbirds require open grassy areas for their feeding, thick, thorny shrubs for hiding the nest and high perches where the male can sing and defend his territory. Gardens are among its favorite dwelling places especially if winter berries are available. The Mockingbird's primary diet is insects (beetles, ants, grasshoppers and spiders),berries and seed.
Facts:
- Only unmated males sing at night.
- Mockingbirds often form long-term pair bonds.
- Mockingbirds vigorously defend their territory against many other species including dogs, cats and man!
- Female mockingbirds often build a new nest while the males finish feeding older fledglings and teaching them to fly.
- Scientists have found that female mockingbirds are attracted to males that can make the most different sounds.
- Mockingbirds are the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas and one of the few birds found in every kind of habitat, from desert to forest to city.
- Mockingbirds are thought to raise and lower their wings in order to scare up a meal of insects, frighten snakes and impress their mates.
From Mr. Food
Who would've thought that with just 4 ingredients you can make the tastiest shredded pork ever, and right in your slow cooker, too! Our Down-Home Shredded Pork gets it's special flavor from a combination of BBQ sauce and root beer, and when ya slow cook it for hours (like we do) you can bet those flavors are really going to come through.
- 1 (2-pound) package pork tenderloin, trimmed, rinsed, and patted dry (2 per package)
- 1 cup root beer
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce
- Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, brown both tenderloins on all sides.
- Pour root beer into a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add pork and onion, and pour barbecue sauce on top.
- Cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours, or until pork easily breaks apart. Using 2 forks, shred pork in slow cooker, mixing with sauce.
***If you'd like to lower the fat and carbs in this dish or make it diabetic-friendly, you can swap the root beer for diet root beer and make your own barbecue sauce or buy a low-sugar brand. Click here for these instructions, plus complete nutritional information on our diabetic-friendly version!
1889 – Charles Darrow, American board game creator (Monopoly) (d. 1967)
1898 – Jack Haley, American actor (d. 1979)
1923 – Rhonda Fleming, American actress (d.2020)
1924 – Martha Hyer, American actress (d.2014)
1928 – Jimmy Dean, American singer and businessman (d. 2010)
1928 – Eddie Fisher, American singer (d. 2010)
- Try spreading peanut butter on the graham crackers before adding the other ingredients.
- Substitute peanut butter cups in place of the chocolate bar.
- Replace the graham crackers with fudge-dipped cookies.
- Add banana slices.
