Louisiana · Year-round resident

Northern Mockingbirds in Louisiana

When mockingbirds are present in Louisiana, when they nest, which native Louisiana plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 8a–10a yard.

Mockingbirds and thrashers (Mimidae)Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos

Status in Louisiana: Year-round resident
Nesting window: February–August
Broods: 2–3 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 8a–10a

When to expect mockingbirds in Louisiana

Northern Mockingbirds live in Louisiana all year. Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds. 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 coastal marsh, bottomland hardwood forest and piney uplands in the north.

Nesting in Louisiana

Across Louisiana, mockingbirds typically nest from February–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.

Very hot, humid summers and hurricane season June–November.

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 Louisiana plants that attract mockingbirds

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

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

Feeding mockingbirds through the Louisiana year

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

Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
In Louisiana's winter: Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds.

Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds

Frequently asked

Are mockingbirds in Louisiana year-round?

Yes. Northern Mockingbirds are year-round residents in Louisiana.

When do mockingbirds nest in Louisiana?

Nesting in Louisiana typically runs February–August, with 2–3 per season. Clutches are 2–6 eggs, incubated for 12–13 days.

What native plants attract mockingbirds in Louisiana?

Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Smooth sumac, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry are native plants in Louisiana that provide food or cover for mockingbirds.

Other backyard birds in Louisiana

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird House Sparrow European Starling Rufous Hummingbird White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eurasian Collared-Dove

Sources

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.