If you have been
graced with a mockingbird in your yard, you will know how apt the Indian name
for this bird is:”Cencontlatolly”, the bird of 400 tongues. Able to change his tune 87 times in 7
minutes, learning as many as 200 separate songs or calls in a lifetime, its
Super Mimic! Well, not actually, the
Brown thrasher can learn up to 2,000 but still, all the mimicking species are
pretty impressive.
If you do have a
mockingbird in your area, you may not always feel so “blessed”. When in full ardor and trying to “get the girl”,
they can ratchet up the volume pretty high. They can also take to night
singing, often when the moon is bright, so, talented though it is, hearing
these endless snatches of song can get a tad tiresome.
I always wondered
why they did that. I know that singing is all about getting the girl, but I
used to think; if you are so good you sound just like a cardinal or a titmouse,
why aren’t you always reeling in the wrong girl? Ah, but of course, the real species aren’t so
easily fooled. And now that you think of
it, neither am I. Although they will
catch you momentarily thinking you are hearing one bird, say a Carolina wren,
but then as I start to look for it, wait, it’s a Cardinal, then a few snatches
of song later it’s a Blue jay. That’s
when I know, it’s a Mockingbird and so do the females of all those
species.
But still, I
wondered why; what edge does this give them in impressing the ladies? Well, whenever I have bird queries, the
place to go is the Cornell Ornithological website, (http://www.birds.cornell.edu) and so I did. And it turns out that the male with the most
impressive song list gets the girl. They
point out that, as mockingbirds are continually adding to their repertoire, for
that matter, each year they may only use between 40-60% of last years playlist,
the male with the most downloaded tunes, as it were, shows that he has been
around a while. Which implies he is a
survivor, and has a good food source and street smarts and wouldn’t you want to
pass that along to the next generation? Yes you would, so the females are more
drawn to that male.
Ergo, the more
“songs” you know and the louder you sing them, the more likely you are to find
a mate. Now, here is another thing to
know, mockingbirds almost always have several broods each summer. By listening you can tell when the dating
season is in full swing, versus the nesting season. The male may start singing low in the bushes
in early spring, but as the days go on, he climbs to greater heights and sings
louder and louder. Once the female has
chosen him and nesting begins, then, for the sake of safety of the nest, he
pipes down.
You see him now, but the
incessant mimicry has stopped. Only to
start up again perhaps 6 weeks later as a second brood is considered.
Which is what my
mockingbird in my neighborhood is doing right now. Its what inspired this blog. I could have sworn I heard an Eastern Blue Jay,
which although they are in Texas, are not in my neighborhood. But in a few minutes that jay became a
titmouse, and then a wren and I thought, ah it’s a mockingbird. Now, each day when I walk the dog, I am
treated to an aviary worth of song, but I shall make a point of listening to
when that lessens and I can begin anticipating baby mockingbirds.
Their singing is
only one part of their personality, for they are also infamous in their defense
of hearth and home. But that is for another
blog, which we shall return to as soon as time permits. Meanwhile, listen in to the mimic in your neighborhood;
see how many bird songs your mocker has downloaded from the bird app. And, if you are so inclined, and can make
some whistling sound of your own, repeat it often and see if it becomes part of
his repertoire. My favorite story of
this sort of thing is the mockingbird that, according to Arnold Miller, joined
the National Symphony Orchestra as it performed “Peter and the Wolf”. And what part did it take? Why, the flute of course, which is imitating
the bird in the story. Wonderful! Isn’t
nature grand, it never ceases to entertain!
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