Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
February is a time of courtship, and mockingbirds sing it out.
February often makes us think of courtship, and birds are no exception. This month, mating season begins heating up across much of the United States, and one of the first signs is the return of birdsong. Long before nests appear or leaves bud, the air comes alive with music. Among the most ardent singers is the male Northern Mockingbird, heard throughout the day and well into the night, intent on attracting a mate.
Clever and adaptable, a male Northern Mockingbird can learn more than 200 songs over his lifetime, creating a repertoire that’s distinctly his own. Melodies from other birds, frog croaks, and even car alarms all find their way into the mix. This talent for improvisation is reflected in the scientific name Mimus polyglottos, meaning “many-tongued mimic.”
The fact that these birds are now common in neighborhoods reflects a genuine conservation success. In the 1800s, Northern Mockingbirds nearly vanished from the American landscape, driven by demand for their remarkable singing ability. Traders caught adults and stole nestlings to sell to wealthy buyers. Birds with the biggest and most varied songs fetched the highest prices, sometimes more than $1,000 in today’s money. Protective legislation, especially the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, ended the wild songbird trade in the United States and helped populations to recover.
Today, mockingbird courtship happens in backyards, parks, suburbs, and cities, with males singing from hedges, rooftops, and trees across much of the country. But females aren’t easily won over by just one good tune. They assess a potential mate over time, noting his persistence, how well he defends his territory, and whether the surroundings can support nesting and raising young. Even the most gifted singer can lose to a less talented one if the other provides a more suitable setting.
Several years ago, well into spring, I heard a male who had yet to find a mate after months of trying. In one last push before the season ended, he began singing at three in the morning. For one week, night after night, he launched into full-throated song, waking me — and probably some neighbors, too. Then, the singing stopped.
The next morning, he was still there, but instead of singing, he was carrying twigs in his bill, shuttling back and forth from a nearby thicket. He had found a mate, and together they were building a nest. His persistence had paid off.
All this singing depends, in the end, on place. For birds like the Northern Mockingbird, the presence — and persistence — of song reflects whether conditions are right for breeding.
I’ve seen how quickly things can change. In a small neighborhood park near my home, thick Pyracantha hedges once supported six pairs of mockingbirds. The bright red berries provided food, and the spiny branches protected their nests and young. After the hedges were cut back hard one year, only one pair returned the following season. It took several years for the birds to come back in anything close to their former numbers as the plants grew back.
What replaces lost habitat often determines whether songbirds persist from one year to the next. Even small choices — trimming shrubs only after the nesting season is over, allowing hedges to bear fruit, skipping pesticides where birds forage — can tip the balance between a territory that supports breeding and one that no longer does.
Seen this way, birdsong becomes both a gift and a measure. Its beauty stops us in our tracks, and its presence or absence reveals whether a place can sustain a breeding season.
Valentine's Gifts for Birds and Bird Lovers
This Valentine’s Day, consider returning the favor that birds bring with something that helps them or the people who love watching them.
Offer your favorite bird lover a bird-friendly treat.
Choosing bird-friendly or shade-grown chocolate or coffee helps protect tropical forests that many migratory songbirds depend on. It’s a thoughtful gift that supports habitat far beyond our backyards. It can also be something to savor together — like sharing a morning cup of shade-grown java.
- Read about bird-friendly cocoa and where you can purchase it.
- See how bird-friendly coffee is saving critical songbird habitat.
Give a gift that lasts beyond the holiday.
A membership or subscription to a bird-focused organization makes a meaningful Valentine for any birder. Groups like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy support research, education, and on-the-ground habitat protection — and both publish excellent magazines that many bird lovers look forward to receiving. You might also consider a contribution to a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center, or a nature preserve or land trust, to honor your favorite bird lover or support a place you enjoy together.
Show some love close to home.
Some of the most meaningful gestures are simple ones: leaving a hedge a little fuller, growing native plants that offer food or cover, or letting part of a yard stay a bit wild. These choices may go unnoticed by us — but not by the birds.
A Closer Listen
Northern Mockingbirds begin learning songs early, often while they’re still dependent on their parents. Young birds spend weeks listening closely to the sounds around them, absorbing fragments of other birds’ songs, environmental noises, and local variations long before they sing in any recognizable way.
In mockingbirds, it’s mostly males who go on to develop the large, complex song repertoires used in courtship and territory defense. Females vocalize, too, but they don’t build the same extensive song collections.
What sets mockingbirds apart is that they are lifelong learners. Unlike many songbirds whose songs become fixed after their first year, mockingbirds continue to add, refine, and reshuffle their songs throughout their lives.
