The northern mockingbird is the state bird of Florida.
Florida's state bird is the northern mockingbird, or Mimus polyglottos. The northern mockingbird lives throughout the United States, from southern Canada to the southern United States. It is found throughout the state of Florida and the Florida Keys. The northern mockingbird is also the state bird of Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Appearance
The northern mockingbird is gray in color with darker gray on the wings and back and lighter gray on the breast. It has two white, barlike markings on its wings. It measures about 10 inches in height and weighs approximately 2 oz. The northern mockingbird has long legs, a long tail and a curved beak.
Diet
The northern mockingbird feeds on insects such as butterflies, beetles, bees, ants, grasshoppers and wasps. It also eats small animals such as earthworms and lizards. The northern mockingbird eats some vegetation, including fruit.
Mating
When selecting a mate, both male and female northern mockingbirds call to one another, flap their wings and perch next to one another. This is thought to be the bird's way of inspecting their mate's health. Once they have selected each other, they will continue to mate and produce eggs throughout the entire mating season. Some northern mockingbirds are known to mate for life.
Nesting
The male northern mockingbird builds the nest using twigs and other materials it finds before it has chosen a mate. The male usually selects a low-hanging tree limb or an area of dense bushes or shrubs. The female mockingbird then examines the nest and decides whether it is suitable. If she accepts the nest, she lines it using feathers and other soft object. The northern mockingbird can make several nests in one mating season. The female usually lays about two or three eggs in each nest. If the female mockingbird lays eggs before the hatchlings have become independent, the male mockingbird cares for the hatchlings while the female cares for the new eggs.
Hatchlings
When the northern mockingbird babies emerge from their eggs, they are dependent on their parents for the first two or three weeks of life. When the hatchlings are approximately 12 days old, they hop out of the nest and fall to the ground. Because they are still unable to fly, their parents continue bring them food and protect them. The parents protect and feed the baby birds until they begin scavenging for food on their own.
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