The Northern Mockingbird is a highly visible songbird across North America, recognized for its extensive vocal repertoire and ability to mimic other sounds. This adaptable species thrives in various environments, from dense suburbs to open country, largely due to its flexible, omnivorous diet. Understanding what mockingbirds eat in the wild reveals a feeding strategy that shifts throughout the year to maximize available resources.
Animal and Plant Matter
The mockingbird’s diet is split between animal matter, primarily arthropods, and plant matter, mainly fleshy fruits. Throughout the year, the bird relies on insects and other invertebrates as a foundational source of protein. Common prey items include grasshoppers, beetles, ants, wasps, spiders, earthworms, and caterpillars found in short-grass areas and leaf litter. This protein is important during warmer months for feeding nestlings and sustaining the high energy demands of the parents. Mockingbirds are opportunistic and occasionally consume small vertebrates, such as lizards.
When insects become less abundant, the diet shifts to incorporate a wide variety of plant-based foods, focusing almost exclusively on fruits and berries. They seek out wild berries from species like holly, dogwood, mulberries, elderberry, and the persistent fruits of multiflora rose. Mockingbirds prefer the fruit pulp and rarely consume seeds or hard grains, which are generally less digestible.
Seasonal Dietary Shifts
The annual diet is characterized by a significant ratio change between animal and plant matter, driven by seasonal availability. During the spring and summer breeding season, when insects are plentiful, the diet consists of a high percentage of animal matter, sometimes reaching 85 to 90 percent. This high-protein intake is necessary for the production of eggs and the rapid development of multiple broods.
As the weather cools and insect populations decline, the diet shifts toward plant matter in the fall and winter months. The bird relies heavily on wild fruits and berries that remain available on shrubs and trees throughout the colder period. The proportion of insects can drop to as low as 15 percent during winter, with the bird depending on stored fat reserves and the energy found in persistent fruit. This flexibility enables the mockingbird to inhabit areas that experience wide seasonal variations in food resources.
Active Foraging Behavior
Mockingbirds employ a distinct and energetic style when hunting for food, primarily foraging on open lawns and grassy areas. They capture most insects while walking or running on the ground, often using a characteristic stop-start motion. The bird will run a short distance, abruptly pause to scan the area, and then dart forward to snatch prey with its beak.
One recognizable foraging technique is the “wing flash” display, where the bird rapidly opens and closes its wings in a jerky motion while on the ground. This movement exposes large white patches on the wings, creating a sudden visual contrast. A leading theory suggests the sudden flash serves to startle or flush out hidden insects from the surrounding vegetation, making them easier targets for capture.
Mockingbirds also use a low perch, such as a fence post or shrub, as a vantage point to watch for movement before flying down to the ground to secure a meal. They are highly territorial, and their foraging often takes place within the boundaries of their established territory, which they aggressively defend.