Northern Mockingbirds in Arkansas
When mockingbirds are present in Arkansas, when they nest, which native Arkansas plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 6b–8b yard.
- Status in Arkansas
- Year-round resident
- Nesting window
- March–August
- Broods
- 2–3 per season
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 6b–8b
When to expect mockingbirds in Arkansas
Northern Mockingbirds live in Arkansas all year. Mild winters with occasional ice storms that make suet and sheltered feeders critical for a few days at a time. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward holly, hackberry, pokeweed and multiflora fruit.
Humid subtropical, with the Ozark and Ouachita highlands in the northwest and the flat Mississippi Delta in the east.
Nesting in Arkansas
Across Arkansas, mockingbirds typically nest from March–August. Nest site: twig cup in shrubs and small trees 3–10 ft up. Females lay 2–6 eggs, incubate for 12–13 days, and young leave the nest after 12–13 days.
Hot, humid summers; shade nest boxes in the Delta.
- Northern Mockingbirds don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar, serviceberry for nest sites.
- Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.
Native Arkansas plants that attract mockingbirds
Of the regional native plants we track for Arkansas, these 8 provide food or cover mockingbirds use:
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.
Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Feeding mockingbirds through the Arkansas year
Mockingbirds defend fruiting shrubs from other birds all winter; plant several berry bushes to spread them out.
- Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
- In Arkansas's winter: Mild winters with occasional ice storms that make suet and sheltered feeders critical for a few days at a time.
Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds
Frequently asked
Are mockingbirds in Arkansas year-round?
Yes. Northern Mockingbirds are year-round residents in Arkansas.
When do mockingbirds nest in Arkansas?
Nesting in Arkansas typically runs March–August, with 2–3 per season. Clutches are 2–6 eggs, incubated for 12–13 days.
What native plants attract mockingbirds in Arkansas?
Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Smooth sumac, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry are native plants in Arkansas that provide food or cover for mockingbirds.
Northern Mockingbirds in other regions
Other backyard birds in Arkansas
Sources
- Northern Mockingbird — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Northern Mockingbird life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Northern Mockingbird — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Arkansas
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.