Because of its name, and because this bird does have a remarkable ability to imitate the songs and cries of other birds, most people think of it only in this way.

As a “mocking” bird, this creature is amazing. There is a case where an observer once heard a bird mimic the notes of 32 different birds within 10 minutes! The mockingbird may improve on the other bird’s song by making up trills and runs of its own.

Did you know that sometimes a mockingbird will even try to imitate sounds it hears around the farm such as the cackling of a hen, the barking of a dog, the screech of a wheelbarrow, or the whistle of a postman?

This doesn’t mean, however, that this clever bird doesn’t have a distinctive song of its own. In fact, it has a very lovely one. The song of the mockingbird is one of the delights of the South, where the bird is found by the thousands. It sings from time to time through the winter. By the first of March, it is singing throughout the day and often during moonlit nights. It seems to be proud of its ability to sing. Many times you get the impression that one bird is trying to out-sing another!

But this isn’t the only thing about the mockingbird that makes people love it. It is sociable and trusting by nature, and seems to want to live near man. Sometimes it nests in the vines or shrubbery growing around house doors. At other times, it builds a nest in a fence corner, in a brush heap, thicket, or some other familiar place.

The nest is made of string, rags, bark, feathers and anything else that seems handy. It is well put together, and lined. And when the baby birds are hatched, a mockingbird will put up quite a fight to defend them. It will attack birds twice its size, cats, dogs, or even man himself. Here is really a creature that is willing to die, if necessary, to protect its home and family!

Although the mockingbird prefers the South, it occasionally goes north as far as Maine. In the summer, it is found all along the Gulf Coast.