THE ANIMAL FILES

Northern mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

The singer may be borrowing another animal's voice.

Northern mockingbirds imitate a wide range of sounds and change food with the season. Their white wing patches appear during flight and a distinctive feeding display, but explanations for the display are still debated. Both males and females sing.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Northern mockingbird
Image: Rhododendrites · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
A borrowed repertoire
Imitations include birds and artificial sounds.[1]
The two-step wing display
Foraging birds reveal white wing patches.[1]
Seasonal courses
Fruit becomes more important in colder seasons.[1]

A borrowed repertoire

Mockingbirds copy other birds, other animals and sounds such as mechanical squeaks. An imitation convincing to humans does not necessarily deceive another bird. Repertoire varies among individuals and places, and can expand during life.[1]

The two-step wing display

A foraging bird may spread its wings in a two-step action, exposing white patches. Proposed roles include effects on prey, predators or movement. The observed wing motion is clear, while its functional explanation remains open to study.[1]

Seasonal courses

Arthropods and other animal prey are prominent during breeding, with more fruit in autumn and winter. Birds search both ground and vegetation.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does only the male sing?

No. Females also sing, though generally more quietly and less often.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why might a perfect-sounding imitation still fail as a species identification?

Reveal the explanation

A mockingbird can reproduce another species' sound. Seeing the caller supplies evidence that the copied sound cannot.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Northern mockingbird (cited revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Mimus polyglottos

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Great titSmall feet can become a food-holding tool.Parus major ↗Common starlingA moving cloud of starlings is built from neighbours reacting to neighbours.Sturnus vulgaris ↗Common blackbirdA black male does not make every blackbird black.Turdus merula ↗