Northern Mockingbirds in Missouri
When mockingbirds are present in Missouri, when they nest, which native Missouri plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5b–7b yard.
- Status in Missouri
- Year-round resident
- Nesting window
- March–August
- Broods
- 2–3 per season
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5b–7b
When to expect mockingbirds in Missouri
Northern Mockingbirds live in Missouri all year. Cold winters with variable snow; ice storms can shut down natural food for days. 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 continental, from the Ozark Plateau in the south to prairie and river floodplains in the north.
Nesting in Missouri
Across Missouri, 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.
- 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 Missouri plants that attract mockingbirds
Of the regional native plants we track for Missouri, 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.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
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.
Feeding mockingbirds through the Missouri year
Mockingbirds defend fruiting shrubs from other birds all winter; plant several berry bushes to spread them out.
- Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
- In Missouri's winter: Cold winters with variable snow; ice storms can shut down natural food for days.
Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds
Frequently asked
Are mockingbirds in Missouri year-round?
Yes. Northern Mockingbirds are year-round residents in Missouri.
When do mockingbirds nest in Missouri?
Nesting in Missouri 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 Missouri?
Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac, White oak, Bur oak are native plants in Missouri that provide food or cover for mockingbirds.
Northern Mockingbirds in other regions
Other backyard birds in Missouri
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 — Missouri
- 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.