Our local area plays host to three species of birds belonging to the family mimidae. These birds, when singing, often mimic the songs of other birds. All robins, Baltimore orioles, or song sparrows each have a song which is characteristic of their species no matter where in the U.S. they live. The gray catbird, brown thrasher and northern mockingbird however don’t, but mimic many others.

The catbird arrives in our area about the first week of May. I have observed them as late as the middle of October before they migrate farther south. They are rather secretive birds, more often heard than seen and spend most of their time feeding on the ground looking for insects or small ripening berries. The catbird and its “cousins” usually run along the ground with their tails characteristically raised. This habit will help you in identifying this bird family. They build mostly stick nests generally low to the ground in dense shrubs or evergreens.

Catbirds and thrashers are usually seen flitting across one of our country roads and usually only a few feet above the ground. Over the years a few friends have called me to identify the bird they have found embedded in their vehicle’s grill. In variably it’s a catbird. Of the mimics, the catbird imitates the least. However, it does call with a catlike “meeww” while it is safely hidden away in the brush. Hence it was called the catbird.

The brown thrasher likes the same type of habitat. They, too, spend most of their time feeding on the ground and sprint in short bursts as if it were a smaller version of a road runner from the desert southwest. The thrasher is quite unique in that it is one of the few birds in the world that repeats its mimicked bird song twice. (Almost without exception) This helps you identify it even when it is tucked away in dense brush. They mimic many other bird songs.

They too nest in low vegetation or evergreens and feed on many insects. They arrive in our area a little earlier than the catbirds and sometimes can even be found overwintering in our area. (Though migrating from here is the norm.)

The mockingbird however is the master mimic. Its repertoire includes almost any local bird found in our area. It may be hard to determine if the singing bird is a mockingbird or actually the blue jay it is mimicking. It may actually try too hard and sometimes the song is actually too “rich” and a bit overdone. A male mockingbird in my yard sang at least 15 different birds songs in the few minutes that I tried to identify them. Some other biologists have indicated that they have heard double that many.

This tireless mimic often sings on bright moonlit nights. The Bradford pear tree near my window was the roosting choice for the local male. With the window open the constant serenade at two or three in the morning led me to resort to an unwanted tree shaking trip in those wee hours to roust him. Mockingbirds, more often than not, overwinter in our area. They are fond of multiflora rose hips, Bradford pear fruits and will eat the shriveling remaining apples on your ornamental crabapple trees.

Test your outdoor knowledge: Between 1927 and 1973 all our states had selected an official state bird. Six chose the mockingbird. However, no states north of Tennessee chose this mimic. Why not?

Answer to last week’s trivia: The ruffed grouse, our state bird, does not migrate from our area, all the others do.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.