The Mockingbird is known for its imitation of other bird calls. It can have 25-30 songs that it sings all year and even into the night.
It’s back is gray with a white underbelly. It’s wings and tail are darker gray with patches of white. The male and female look alike.
They are found in the suburbs through all of the United States into Northern Mexico. It eats insects and fruit.
The female lays 2-6 eggs and incubates them for 12-13 days. The chicks fledge at 12 days. The parents fiercly protect the nest by swooping down on people and animals.
In 1927 both Florida and Texas made the Mockingbird its state bird. The Women’s clubs voted it in Arkansas in 1929. It’s growing popularity led Tennessee to adopt it in 1933 and Mississippi in 1944.
Here is a printable color sheet.
The cactus wren spends its time in the desert living in the spiny saguaro and cholla cacti. The male and female
look alike; their backs are brown with white spots and their wings have white bars and their tail has black bars. It is the largest wren in North America.
They are skittish and noisy often “yelling” at those who dare to come near. They eat insects, seeds and fruits. The male often builds several nests and then the female picks her favorite. The female lays 3-6 eggs and incubates them about 16 days. The young leave the next after about 3 weeks. Between March and July they will raise 2-3 families. The cactus wren was made Arizona’s state bird in 1931.
Enjoy the printable color sheet.
Miscellaneous birdhouse thoughts: If someone was brave enough to stick their hand into the cactus and nail up a birdhouse do you think the wrens might nest there? If I had easy access to a desert I would try it out. If someone is brave enough to try please let me know if it works =)
In 1955 Alaska voted the Willow Ptarmigan its’ state bird. It is a grouse with brown feathers on its neck and back. It has a red comb on its head that gets larger in the summer and spring. It’s body has brown and white feathers intermixed. In the winter it’s feathers turn completely white camoflauging it from predators. The ptarmigan is the size of a small chicken.
The birds live in the tundras and thickets in Alaska and British Columbia. They eat flowers and insects during the summer and during the harsh winter they eat budsand twigs off of Alder/Birch and Willow trees.
The female lays 7 to 10 eggs on a hollowed out area of the ground, usually near rocks or logs. The female incubates the eggs for 3 weeks while the male stays protectively nearby. The chicks leave the nest when they are 10-12 days old. Several families will often flock together and migrate southward.
Enjoy the printable color sheet.
Alabama’s State Bird is the Yellowhammer. It’s proper name is the Northern (common) Flicker part of the Woodpecker family. The back of the male is gray-brown with broken black waves. It’s belly is speckled and the males have a “mustache”. They also have a back”bib” on their chest. The underparts of the wing and tail are yellow.
The flicker nests in April and the female lays 6-10 eggs, one a day until done. The eggs incubate for 17 days and when the fledglings are about a month old they leave the nest. Both parents care for the young birds. They love to eat ants and their favorite berry comes from the poison ivy plant. The name Yellowhammer dates back to the Civil War when the confederate soldiers in Alabama wore bright yellow armbands.
***Flickers will nest in birdhouses!!! They need a 7X7 space that is 16 inches deep. The entrance needs to be 2.5 inches in diameter and about 2 inches from the top. The nest box needs to be 6-20 feet from the ground and the bottom should be covered with wood chips about 2 inches deep.
Build a birdhouse…Save a state bird!!
Enjoy the printable color sheet.
