Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Deaver D. Armstrong
Goose Island State Park, TX 4/7/2006 © John Van Orman
(Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II)
The Northern Mockingbird’s incredible ability Distribution The Northern Mockingbird was first listed in to not only imitate but also remember up to 200 Michigan by Sager (1839). Barrows (1912) different “songs” is well known (Kroodsma called it a rare summer visitor to southern 2005). This remarkable bird uses songs of other Michigan and attributed at least some of the bird species and non-bird species and even reports to escaped caged birds. Wood (1951) copies sounds of mechanical devices like mentioned a total of seven nest records between telephones and sirens. Historically, the bird was 1910 and 1934, all in the SLP in counties which captured and caged for this very ability and have records in both Atlases and most other many early records in Michigan were historical accounts (Zimmerman and Van Tyne discounted as being attributed to escaped pets 1959, Payne 1983). Zimmerman and Van Tyne (Sprunt 1948, Barrows 1912). (1959) added records from Clare and
Cheboygan Counties in the NLP. Payne (1983) The Northern Mockingbird regularly breeds as added 16 more counties to the list of those far north as the southern part of the eastern reporting Northern Mockingbirds in the provinces of Canada west to Ontario and then breeding season. Most of these newly added only casually north of a line drawn west across counties were in the NLP and the western UP. the U.S. from the southern half of Michigan. Binford’s records of Northern Mockingbird There are scattered reports of the species nests in the Keweenaw Peninsula in 2005 and breeding as far north as Alaska (Sibley 2000, 2006 are the northernmost nesting records for National Geographic Society 2002). It nests as the species in the state and the first ever for that far south as southern Mexico (Derrickson and region of the UP (Binford 2006). Statewide, Breitwisch 1992). In Michigan it is a rare but most of the birds recorded during both Atlas regular breeder in the southern and western part periods were in the fruit producing areas in the of the LP and rare but regular during the southwestern part of the state and the counties breeding season in the UP (Binford 2006, around Grand Traverse Bay. Southeastern Hickman 2008). Except for one 1954 record of a counties in the lower two tiers and southwestern bird wintering at a feeder in Marquette, in late counties in the lower three tiers have the most winter the Northern Mockingbird is found only records. Elsewhere in the state, observations of in the LP where it is rare to casual (Zimmerman breeding birds are scattered though there and Van Tyne 1959, Chartier and Ziarno 2004).
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Deaver D. Armstrong appears to be some increase in numbers in the but in Michigan and adjacent states, none of very center of the LP from the first to the second these are significant. The USFWS Region 3 atlas. Few birds were found in the eastern part trend shows a slight increase of 0.96% per year of the UP in MBBA I and they were not present (Sauer et al. 2008). at all during MBBA II. Despite being at the northern edge of its range, Michigan Northern Conservation Needs Mockingbird populations seem to be expanding Because the Northern Mockingbird is at its slightly in both the LP and UP. northern range limit in Michigan, populations will likely continue to be small and there are no Breeding Biology current specific management plans for this Most Mockingbirds in Michigan are migratory species. However, documentation of its range though a few are always found on Christmas expansion by Binford (2006) and others calls for Bird Counts (NAS 2009). Successful nesters careful observation and reporting of all who do migrate tend to return to their previous potentially nesting individuals, especially those years’ breeding territory and re-pair (Derrickson in the UP. and Breitwisch 1992). Mockingbirds prefer cultivated lands or gardens and their nests are Literature Cited usually built in shrubs or small trees (Sprunt 1948, Derrickson and Breitwisch 1992). The Barrows, W.B. 1912. Michigan Bird Life. four eggs are incubated for about 12 days and Special Bulletin. Michigan Agricultural by dividing the care of the fledglings and getting College. Lansing, MI. the next nest started, even pairs breeding in Binford, L.C. 2006. Northern Mockingbird more northerly climates will lay two, sometimes breeding in Houghton Co., Michigan. three broods (Derrickson and Breitwisch 1992, Michigan Birds and Natural History 13(2): Smith and Poon 2007). The earliest reported 61-64. date for a Michigan nest is early June, but Chartier, A.T., and J. Ziarno. 2004. A Birder’s Ontario birds have been found to be on nests as Guide to Michigan. American Birding early as mid-April and Wisconsin birds were Association. Colorado Springs, CO. seen nest building in early May (Dziepak 1991, Derrickson, K.C. and R. Breitwisch 1992. Harriman 2006, Smith and Poon 2007). Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). In The Birds of North America Online (A. Abundance and Population Trends Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds.). (Click to view trends from the BBS) Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural While the southern-most states in USFWS Sciences; Washington, D. C. : The Region 3 (OH, IN, IL) have by far the region’s American Ornithologists’ Union. largest population estimates for Northern Dziepak, P. 1991. Northern Mockingbird. In Mockingbird (approximately 160,000 per state), Brewer, R., G.A. McPeek, and R.J. Adams the northern states in the region, including Jr. 1991. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan and Wisconsin, have estimates of only Michigan. Michigan State University Press. 900 and 300 individuals respectively, and East Lansing, MI. Minnesota did not register any (PIF 2007). A Harriman 2006. Northern Mockingbird. In comparison of the township summaries between Cutright, N.J., B.R. Harriman, and R.W. the first and second Atlas periods shows some Howe. 2006. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of obvious increases in the number of records in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Society for the SLP. BBS data also show an increasing Ornithology. Waukesha, WI. trend statewide between MBBA I and MBBA II,
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Deaver D. Armstrong
Hickman, S. 2008. Checklist of the Birds of Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Available Nature. Toronto, Ontario. online at: Sprunt Jr., A. 1948. Eastern Mockingbird In
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center