Expert: Julia Booth - 7/3/2009

Question
For the first time, we have what I'm pretty sure are Northern Mockingbirds in our yard (we are in Brooklyn, NY).  There is now a nest in one of our trees with babies!  The babies seem to be crying an awful lot, even though the parents are hovering closely at all times and fly to and from the tree constantly.  Is it normal for baby Mockingbirds to cry so much??

Your response is very appreciated.

Answer
Yes, unfortunately that is normal. Mockingbirds are perhaps one of the nosiest urban birds, and that includes their young. My mother-in-law had a nest in the palm tree by her front door and was plagued with around the clock screaming for 2 weeks.

They're very territorial and protective. So I don't recommend getting too close to the nest, if you can avoid it.

Mockingbird hatchlings typically need to eat every 75-90 minutes, until they're ready to fledge. Both the mom and dad participate in the feeding. They will fledge around 2 weeks.

If you think about it, that's rather amazing. They hatch blind with no feathers and in about 14 days they can fly and feed themselves. All the cellular growth that takes place during that time is dependent on constant nutrition, which they get by making that lovely crying and screeching noise that you've been enjoying.

Hope this helps,

Julia