Sounds of Fall

You can tell it is finally fall in Athens, not only by the cooler temperatures, but also by the song of the mockingbird. Starting in mid September the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) begins to sing to setup up their fall territory. They sing in spring too, to attract mates and hold their breeding territory. In summer they do not sing as much and by late summer they are very quiet. Once fall comes about, the adults generally kick their offspring out of their territory, and begin to sing to set up their fall/winter territory. Their fall territory is generally smaller than their breeding territory, and often their offspring will setup up their territories nearby.

The song of the Northern Mockingbird is long and complex. It is a series of varied phrases, with each phrase usually repeated at least 3 times in a row. The phrases are imitations of many other bird songs and calls. One study found that the song repertoire between spring and fall singing only had 1% in common, so mockingbirds effectively may have two vocal repertoires. Other studies have shown that the spring repertoire size (the total number of distinct song types recorded from an individual as determined from analysis of extensive recordings) increases with age.

To learn more about mockingbirds see this link.

To hear the song of the mockingbird, go outside and listen! Or you can hear one online at this link.


References:
Derrickson, K. C. and R. Breitwisch. 1992. Northern Mockingbird. In The Birds of North America, No. 7 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.