CreatureData

Northern mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a species in the family Mimidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 46.4 g to 50.5 g and live up to 20 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the northern mockingbird

Weight
46.4 g – 50.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
20 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
tomatosrc for Main food
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12.2 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.91src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the northern mockingbird live?

Not recorded

What is the northern mockingbird?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a mockingbird commonly found in North America, of the family Mimidae. The species is also found in some parts of the Caribbean, as well as on the Hawaiian Islands. It is typically a permanent resident across much of its range, but northern mockingbirds may move farther south during inclement weather or prior to the onset of winter. The northern mockingbird has gray to brown upper feathers and a paler belly. Its tail and wings have white patches which are visible in flight.

The species is known for its ability to mimic bird calls and other types of sound, including artificial and electronic noises. Studies have shown its ability to identify individual humans and treat them differently based on learned threat assessments. It is an omnivore and consumes fruit, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It is often found in open areas, open woodlands and forest edges, and is quite common in urbanized areas. The species breeds from southeastern Canada throughout the United States to the Greater Antilles. It is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The mockingbird is influential in United States culture, being the state bird of five states, appearing in book titles, songs and lullabies, and making other appearances in popular culture.

From the Wikipedia article “Northern mockingbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_mockingbird&oldid=1384115965), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the northern mockingbird sound like?

Kevin Lakhani · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the northern mockingbird endangered?

The northern mockingbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the northern mockingbird classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMimidae
  6. genusMimus
  7. SpeciesMimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Turdus polyglottos

Other names and names in other languages (65)
  • MockerEnglish
  • Mocking birdEnglish
  • محاكي شماليArabic
  • Многоглас присмехулникBulgarian
  • Американски поен присмехулникBulgarian
  • Risweer stourmidikBreton
  • mim políglotaCatalan
  • Háestôhe'šeméheCheyenne
  • drozdec mnohohlasýCzech
  • Gwatwarwr y GogleddWelsh
  • Nordlig SpottedrosselDanish
  • GartenspottdrosselGerman
  • SpottdrosselGerman
  • TàskëmusDelaware
  • Μίμος του ΒορράGreek
  • norda mokbirdoEsperanto
  • PetigreSpanish
  • Centzontle norteñoSpanish
  • Cenzontle NorteñoSpanish
  • RuiseñorSpanish
  • Sinsonte comúnSpanish
  • Sinsonte norteñoSpanish
  • taidur-pilalindEstonian
  • taiturimatkijaFinnish
  • Vongríputur hermifuglurFaroese
  • Moqueur polyglotteFrench
  • MagadóirIrish
  • RosiyòlHaitian Creole
  • חקיינית צפוניתHebrew
  • sivi raznopojacCroatian
  • énekes gezerigóHungarian
  • HermifuglIcelandic
  • Mimo poliglottoItalian
  • mimo settentrionaleItalian
  • Mino PoliglottoItalian
  • マネシツグミJapanese
  • 북부흉내지빠귀Korean
  • amerikinis mėgdžiotojasLithuanian
  • Daugiabalsis mėgdžiotojasLithuanian
  • dziedātājžagasteLatvian
  • ZahalániiNavajo
  • SpotlijsterDutch
  • sangspottefuglNorwegian
  • przedrzeźniacz północnyPolish
  • mimo-nortenhoPortuguese
  • Imitador-poliglotaPortuguese
  • Sabiá-setentrionalPortuguese
  • Tejo-da-praiaPortuguese
  • tordo-imitadorPortuguese
  • Chincha chawkatuQuechua
  • Многоголосый пересмешинкRussian
  • Многоголосый пересмешникRussian
  • Североамериканский певчий пересмешникRussian
  • MeaštterjievžerásttisNorthern Sami
  • spevák mnohohlasýSlovak
  • severni oponašalecSlovenian
  • северна ругалицаSerbian
  • Severna rugalicaSerbian
  • NordhärmtrastSwedish
  • nordlig härmtrastSwedish
  • TaklitçiTurkish
  • Kuzeyli TaklitçiTurkish
  • пересмішник багатоголосийUkrainian
  • 小嘲鶇Chinese
  • 小嘲鸫Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the northern mockingbird

Other species in the same genus Mimus.

CompareNorthern mockingbird vs Española mockingbirdNorthern mockingbird vs Tropical mockingbirdNorthern mockingbird vs Chalk-browed mockingbirdNorthern mockingbird vs Galápagos mockingbird

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the northern mockingbird?

An adult northern mockingbird weighs 46.4 g – 50.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the northern mockingbird endangered?

The northern mockingbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What does the northern mockingbird eat?

Its recorded main food is tomato.

How long does the northern mockingbird live?

The northern mockingbird has a recorded lifespan of 20 years.

What kind of animal is the northern mockingbird?

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) belongs to the family Mimidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-mockingbird

MLA

“Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-mockingbird.

BibTeX
@misc{northern_mockingbird_2026,
  title = {Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-mockingbird},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}