A Beginner's Guide to the Mockingbird

"Hush little baby don't say a word, mamma's gonna buy you a mockingbird."

How many times did you hear that song as a child? Mama sang of giving us mocking bird's to make us stop crying. So what is so special about a mockingbird that it made it's way into a song to make children happy?

Well, mockingbird's are renowned singers. The male mockingbird starts to develop his singing repertoire at a young age, mimicking the calls of other birds with perfection. These various bird songs are repeated...over and over again. Many mockingbird's will add to their milieu the sounds of people whistling, door bells ringing, the sound of a squeaky gate hinge and other human made sounds. All male mockingbird's sing, however only lone males without a mate will continue to serenade well into the evening hours, singing their "love song" in hopes of finding a mate.

Many people love the sounds of a mockingbird, but since they are birds that will sing, incessantly, into the evening hours, many others find them to be nothing but a nuisance. Since the mockingbird mimics the sound of other bird songs, you may have a hard time telling what species of bird it is you are hearing singing. Identifying a mockingbird however, is quite simple.

First of all, mockingbird's only live in specific areas of the world. And since they are non-migrating birds, they remain in these areas year round. Mocking birds can be found in all areas of North America, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas and the Antilles. Mocking bird's can be found in almost any habitat, from the barren desert to the bustling city. They do however, tend to prefer more open and grassy areas for feeding, and thick shrubs or trees to build their nests in.