Northern Mockingbird Dinner

This Northern Mockingbird appears to have found dinner, and it looks like caterpillar is on the menu. (At least it looks like a caterpillar; there's a small chance it's some other larval insect.)

This seems to be pretty typical foraging behavior for the Northern Mockingbird, which will amble around on the ground in hopes of spotting some delicious insect. My guess is that this mockingbird hit the jackpot by finding a largish nutritious meal.

Though usually mockingbirds will find stuff to eat while walking around, if they're perched on something and a meal walks by, they won't hesitate to fly down and eat it.

This is also a reminder that while we think of most birds as cute, harmless animals, to the local invertebrates they are savage, remorseless predators. Perspective matters.
June 16, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 211723275, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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