The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a familiar, year-round resident throughout Florida and is the official state bird. These medium-sized songbirds are highly adaptable omnivores, consuming both animal and plant matter. Their foraging habits are closely tied to the seasonal availability of food within the diverse Florida ecosystem. This opportunistic approach allows them to thrive successfully in various habitats, from coastal scrublands to dense suburban environments.
Primary Protein Sources: Insects and Arthropods
The animal component of the mockingbird’s diet provides the high-protein intake necessary for breeding and raising young. During the warm Florida summer, the diet consists of approximately half insects and other arthropods. This focus ensures that nestlings receive the nutrients required for rapid growth.
Mockingbirds are effective insect predators, consuming a wide variety of common Florida fauna. Their prey includes:
- Grasshoppers
- Beetles
- Ants
- Wasps
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
They have also been observed feeding on the zebra longwing butterfly in southern Florida. Occasionally, they consume earthworms, small crustaceans, and tiny lizards.
Foraging is typically done on open ground, such as mowed lawns or fields. A bird will often watch from a low perch, then quickly descend to capture prey. They employ a distinctive running and hopping motion while hunting. They sometimes pause to flash the white patches on their wings, which may startle insects into moving.
Seasonal Plant-Based Diet: Fruits and Berries
As insect populations decline in the cooler months, the mockingbird’s diet shifts significantly to focus on fruits and berries. This plant-based food source becomes the primary fuel during the fall and winter, providing necessary carbohydrates and hydration. This seasonal shift is important because the birds do not typically migrate south.
Mockingbirds consume fruits from many native and naturalized plants common in Florida landscapes. Examples include berries from American beautyberry, elderberry, wax myrtle, and red cedar. They are among the few bird species that can tolerate and consume holly berries, which are toxic to many other animals.
The fruits of palm trees, such as the Sabal palm, are also a favored food source. They seek out cultivated fruits like grapes, mulberries, and dogwood berries when available. Consuming these moist fruits provides a significant source of water, aiding hydration in the state’s warmth. Mockingbirds also play a role in seed dispersal. They often aggressively defend fruiting shrubs and trees, establishing temporary feeding territories to secure their winter stores.
Adapting to the Florida Environment: Human-Provided Foods
The mockingbird’s success in Florida is partly due to its ability to exploit suburban and agricultural environments for supplementary meals. The birds often forage opportunistically in gardens and yards, sometimes targeting cultivated soft fruits, such as tomatoes and figs, before they are fully ripe.
While they typically do not frequent seed feeders, they eat items spilled onto the ground or offered on platform feeders. Mockingbirds can be attracted by human offerings like sliced apples, bananas, or dried fruits such as raisins. They occasionally accept supplemental items like suet and mealworms, which provide concentrated energy and protein.
The Florida climate makes readily available fresh water a significant resource, and mockingbirds utilize bird baths frequently for drinking and bathing. Providing water is a simple and beneficial way to support these birds, especially during times of drought or intense heat. This flexibility in integrating yard-based food sources allows them to thrive across the state’s varied developed areas.