This slender, gray bird with the long tail and large white patches on wings and tail that are visible in flight is generally welcome in most yards.  The flashing of the white patches is used to confuse predators and stir insects into movement.

Mockingbirds are as bold as they are vocal. It is their nature to dominate and defend certain feeding areas, especially feeding stations in winter, to the chagrin of many bird watchers who feel sorry for the other birds that seem not to be getting their share.  They sometimes attack their own reflections causing injuries to itself and more than a few deaths.  They also actively defend their nesting territories from potential enemies such as the house cat.  Many complaints are received each spring from cat owners who allow their pets to roam free, as mockers are quick to attack. But as far as body weight is concerned the mocker is no real match to the house cat.

The breeding habitat consists of residential areas, city parks, farmlands and open countryside across the United States except for the northwest.  The bird is a year around resident over the southern part of its range.

The Mockingbird forms a long term pair bond and it is the unmated males that are most likely to sing at night in the spring.  When successful in attracting a female both sexes will perform a mating dance with heads and tails held high, racing toward one another and then retreating. 

Three to five blue-green eggs heavily spotted with brown are laid in a bulky cup of sticks and weed stems.  The male usually builds the foundation of the nest while the female provides the grass and fine plant materials lining the nest.  The eggs are incubated by the female for 10 to 12 days and leave the nest 10 to 12 days later.  The male will take over feeding for the fledglings as the female renests.  The diet consist of insects, spiders, and fruits as well as some crayfish, sowbugs, snails, and berries.

Length 9 to 11 inches