Seeing a Northern Mockingbird is common across much of the United States, and these charismatic creatures often capture the attention of backyard birders with their bold personalities and incessant songs. Indeed, some may grow accustomed to seeing a pair of mockingbirds in their hedges each year, and this may prompt them to wonder about mockingbird monogamy. Do mockingbirds mate for life?
Seeing two mockingbirds associating with one another during mockingbird mating season means that you’re likely witnessing a pair. Many songbirds find new mates annually, but do mockingbirds display such a behavior? Keep reading as I discuss the mating tendencies of Northern Mockingbirds.
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Do Mockingbirds Mate For Life?
Those who routinely have a pair of Northern Mockingbirds in their yard may wonder if they’re witnessing the same two birds annually. To understand the probability of the birds being the same, one would need to know about the breeding ecology of Northern Mockingbirds. Are they like many other songbird species that choose new mates annually, or do mockingbirds mate for life?
Northern Mockingbirds do not tend to mate for life. Instead, these birds are just like robins in that they choose a new mate every year or two. Mockingbirds may mate with the same bird for several consecutive years, but they may participate in extra-pair copulations during this stint.
Okay, now that we know that the answer to the question, “Do mockingbirds mate for life?” is typically no, let’s investigate why this is the case.
Why Don’t Mockingbirds Tend To Keep A Mate For Life?
Like any bird species, loyalty to a mate is not a motivating factor for remaining with a partner. Instead, birds are motivated by the prospect of passing on their genes. Finding a mate that gives them the best chance of successfully raising offspring is an annual priority for most bird species.
Even Northern Mockingbirds that are raising offspring with one mockingbird may participate in extra-pair copulations with others. This tendency is not unique to mockingbirds, though. In fact, many bird species have been found to seek extra-pair copulations.
From crows to swans, many birds that seemingly mate for life are actually having affairs with other birds behind the scenes. However, from a bird’s perspective, these extra-pair copulations make the possibility of passing on their genes all the more likely.
Mockingbirds may very well reproduce with the same individual for consecutive years. If both remain healthy and continue to frequent the same breeding grounds, then forming a pair bond in consecutive years is a very realistic possibility. However, if one is not as healthy or strong as other options in the area, then the former mate may move on.
It sounds like mockingbird mating is very much contingent on the lifespan of a mockingbird. How long do mockingbirds live?
How Long Do Mockingbirds Live?
Those interested in knowing about the Northern Mockingbird mating season will be curious about Northern Mockingbird lifespan. So, how long do mockingbirds live?
Well, a Northern Mockingbird lifespan is fairly long far as songbirds are concerned. Healthy individuals who can avoid predators can live for more than 10 years, with the longest lives being just shy of 15 years in the wild. A Northern mockingbird lifespan that exceeds more than 10 years is a very good life, and such birds are unlikely to keep their same mate for this long. Those that live for longer than 10 years are likely to have several mates in their mockingbird lifespan.
Now that we’ve addressed the question, “How long does a mockingbird live?” we can discuss when mockingbirds are sexually mature.
When Are Northern Mockingbirds Sexually Mature?
Before birds can begin mating, they need to reach a point in which they are equipped with the necessary organs and hormones for reproduction. This point is known as sexual maturity. Different bird species are sexually mature at different points in their lives. For Northern Mockingbirds, they reach sexual maturity around the time of their first birthday.
When the Northern Mockingbird mating season comes around and a mockingbird reaches sexual maturity, how do mockingbirds mate?
How Do Mockingbirds Mate?
Some may be curious about how mockingbirds fulfill their promiscuous lifestyles – how do mockingbirds mate?
Well, I won’t get into intimate details about mockingbird mating in this article–you can check out this article if you want to know more about bird mating. However, know that mockingbird mating is not extraordinary by any means – they mate the same way as most other birds.
Now that we’ve got mating discussions out of the way, we can discuss where to find mockingbirds. Where do mockingbirds live?
Where Do Mockingbirds Live?
If you suspect that you saw a mockingbird, you may ask, “Where do mockingbirds live?”.
Well, mockingbirds join the likes of birds such as Mourning Doves and crows as native birds that thrive in urban environments. Therefore, suburban backyards, city parks, and other open areas with shrubs and young trees are great places to find this species. They select thick shrubs or young trees as locations in which to build nests. It is thought that males stake out several nest site possibilities, while the female has the final say in where the nest will go.
Do Mockingbirds Use Birdhouses?
Northern Mockingbirds are not cavity nesters, so don’t expect to find one of these birds in a birdhouse. Instead, they prefer to nest in dense trees or shrubs where predators are unlikely to locate them.
How Many Eggs Do Mockingbirds Lay?
Those who have a pair of mockingbirds in their backyard may be curious about how many eggs these birds lay. Well, a clutch of mockingbird eggs may contain as many as 6 and as few as 2 eggs. Northern Mockingbirds are capable of producing 3 clutches of eggs annually. This means that these birds may be capable of laying nearly 20 mockingbird eggs each year.
When Do Mockingbirds Lay Eggs?
We now know that mockingbirds are capable of laying a substantial number of eggs every year, but we’ve not yet addressed the when – when do mockingbirds lay eggs?
Well, Northern Mockingbirds lay their eggs in the breeding season, which is generally considered to be the spring and summer months of the year. It takes more than one month to raise a brood of eggs, so the mockingbird breeding season may span nearly 6 months.
How Long Do Mockingbirds Stay In The Nest?
Mockingbird eggs will be incubated from the time that they’re laid until the young are several days old. It takes about 12 days for the eggs to hatch, and the young don’t fledge until a minimum of 12 more days have passed.
Do Mockingbirds Leave Their Nest Before They Can Fly?
Some baby mockingbirds may leave the nest before they’re very skilled at flight. Therefore, if you notice a mockingbird running around and observe that it doesn’t seem very good at flying, then it’s likely a young bird. Be sure to keep pets away from such a bird, as they are not able to avoid dangers as easily as their parents.
Most mockingbirds won’t leave the nest until they’re decent at flying. However, there are plenty of instances in which young prematurely leave the nest because of inclement weather, predator attacks, or an error in their judgment.
If a mockingbird pair successfully fledges young in a certain year, do mockingbirds mate for life afterward? Well, not necessarily, as this is dependent on a variety of factors.
Okay, we know that mockingbirds give little thought to mate loyalty, but do they at least have loyalty to their young? Do mockingbirds lay eggs in other nests?
Do Mockingbirds Lay Eggs In Other Nests?
Some wonder if mockingbirds are known to lay their eggs in the nests of other birds as Brown-headed Cowbirds are known to do. There’s no question that mockingbirds can be mischievous birds, but do mockingbirds lay eggs in other nests?
While mockingbirds can be aggressive towards other birds, they do not lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species. They want to raise their own young, so they would not be interested in having other birds do this job for them.
What Do Mockingbirds Feed Their Babies?
What do mockingbirds eat when they’re babies? Well, mockingbirds have a variable diet depending on the availability of food and the time of year. These songbirds primarily consume insects during the summer, so their babies eat little other than these creatures. In addition to insects, mockingbird parents may capture small reptiles such as tiny lizards or snakes, and feed them to their young.