Northern Mockingbirds in Kansas

Northern Mockingbirds live in Kansas all year. Cold, dry winters with strong wind; windbreaks and evergreens are prime roost cover. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward holly, hackberry, pokeweed and multiflora fruit.

Continental — humid tallgrass Flint Hills in the east to semi-arid shortgrass prairie in the west.

Across Kansas, 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 summers above 95°F; western Kansas is dry, so water draws birds from far away.

• 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.

Of the regional native plants we track for Kansas, these 8 provide food or cover mockingbirds use:

Mockingbirds defend fruiting shrubs from other birds all winter; plant several berry bushes to spread them out.

• Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
• In Kansas's winter: Cold, dry winters with strong wind; windbreaks and evergreens are prime roost cover.

Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds