The Florida State Bird Mockingbird

The common mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a superb songbird and mimic. Its own song has a pleasant lilt, varied and repetitive. Often it will sing all night long, especially in bright springtime moonlight.

All ten species of mockingbirds are virtually alike in form: about 10" in length, with a 15" wingspan, grayish upper portions, white undersides, and white patches on the tail and wings. The female has slightly less whiteness.

The nest, a joint male/female project, is a bulky, open cup of grass, twigs and rootlets carelessly arranged in a dense tree of bush. The 3-6 eggs per nest are a pale blue-greenish with brown spots. This year-round Florida resident is known for its fierce defense of the family nest.

Senate Concurrent Resolution No.3 of the 1927 legislative session designated the mockingbird as the State Bird. Not only a Florida favorite, it is the State Bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission