Northern Mockingbird

Here's a Northern Mockingbird taking in the scenery from a low perch. I've talked about their mimicry and eating habits in prior posts, which suggests I see/hear them a lot. Today I'm going to write this stealing information from a book I borrowed from the library: What It's Like to Be a Bird - Sibley.

Apparently mockingbirds will "attack" people, at least if you define an attack as "making a lot of noise and flying towards you only to veer off before getting to you". I've personally been attacked like this by Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, and even an American Robin, but never by a mockingbird [1]. In virtually every 1 of these situations the attacking birds were trying to harass me into leaving an area, almost certainly because they perceived a threat to their nest or a fledgling.

One foraging tactic they (and some other birds) use to find food is "wing flashing". Here's the way it works. The bird lands someplace they suspect has hiding insects. Then while watching the area carefully, they'll flick their wings up. If the tactic works, some unfortunate insect gets nervous and moves, thinking they were under attack, but actually alerts the bird to their location.

September 9, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 248761131, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


[1] Whatever they lack in dangerousness, passerines make up for in feistiness. 

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