mocking bird/mockingbird

(also ‘American nightingale’/’mocker‘)

a kind of bird – song bird – related to thrasher –  slim body with grey feathers with white under parts, including patches on the underside of the wings and outer feathers of the long tail, long beak (bill), thin black legs; size: 8-10 inch long, including 4-6 inch-long tail, and weight: 30-60 grams; feeds on insects, snails, lizards, small snakes, and seeds and fruit; lives for 8 years in the wild; 17 species found in North America

Special Features:

The ‘mockingbird’ is the former state bird of South Carolina; the present state bird of Tennessee and Texas, USA.

The mocking bird is noted for its variety of calls.  It can mimic (= copy or make the calls that sound like that of other birds) not only the calls of other birds but also the piano notes, wail of sirens, barks of dog, etc.!! The males can sing very loudly for hours on end; the females can also sing but softly, less frequently and for a limited time.

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