# Northern Mockingbird

Scientific name: Mimus polyglottos

Bird group: [mimid](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/mimid)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/240/Northern-Mockingbird

## Identification

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Turdus polyglottos. The northern mockingbird is known for its mimicking ability, as reflected by the meaning of its scientific name, "many-tongued thrush". The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight.
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## Distribution and habitat

The Northern Mockingbird is a common species that occurs 
mostly from southern Canada to 
southern Mexico, throughout the 
United States and the western 
West Indies (including Puerto 
Rico and the Virgin Islands). It 
is introduced and established in 
Hawaii and Bermuda (del Hoyo 
and others 2004). It is a common 
resident throughout Puerto Rico 
(Oberle 2018, Raffaele 1989a), 
Vieques (Gemmill 2015, Saliva 
1994, Sorrié 1975, Wetmore 
1916), Culebra (Wetmore 
1917), and Mona (Terborgh 
and Faaborg 1973). The species 
usually inhabits open country 
with scattered trees or bushes in the lowlands including dry 
coastal scrub, open mangrove 
forests, grasslands, farms, 
gardens, parks, and urban 
areas, but also ranges into 
the mountains where suitable 
habitat is available (Oberle 2018, 
Raffaele 1989a, Raffaele and 
others 1998). The atlas fieldwork 
yielded a total of 915 records 
within 406 hexagons or 85 
percent of the 479 total hexagons 
(see map). Of the 406 hexagons 
where this species was found, 
breeding met the atlas definition 
of confirmed in 29 percent (117) 
of the hexagons, probable in 
38 percent (153), and possible in 
33 percent (136) (see map). Northern Mockingbird distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones 
in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       231Northern Mockingbird/Ruiseñor

## Breeding

The mockingbird builds a nest that is a coarse open cup of 
twigs, usually placed from 
1 to 3 m above the ground in 
dense shrubbery, tree branches, 
or vines, often near houses 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
Previously published reports 
indicate that breeding occurs 
primarily from January to July 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
Nonetheless, atlas results show 
that this species breeding season 
extends throughout the year 
with the most breeding activity 
from March to June (see chart). The breeding activity peaks in 
May, and breeding mostly takes 
place within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (see chart). 
Results show that this species 
breeds mostly in lowlands within 
the subtropical moist forest 
life zone (61 percent of the 
hexagons) (see table) and less 
commonly in the subtropical dry 
forest life zone of the southern 
and eastern coastal plains (20 
percent of the hexagons) and 
subtropical wet and lower 
montane wet forest life zones 
at higher elevations (19 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table 
and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend for the Northern Mockingbird 
is described as stable, and it 
is currently listed as a species 
of least concern by the IUCN 
(BirdLife International 2017). 
Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Northern Mockingbird has a 
protected habitat in land of 
about 12 percent or 1122 km2 of the total area covered by 
the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (9686 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_240_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_240_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.