Nebraska · Year-round resident

Northern Mockingbirds in Nebraska

When mockingbirds are present in Nebraska, when they nest, which native Nebraska plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4b–5b yard.

Mockingbirds and thrashers (Mimidae)Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos

Status in Nebraska: Year-round resident
Nesting window: March–August
Broods: 2–3 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4b–5b

When to expect mockingbirds in Nebraska

Northern Mockingbirds live in Nebraska all year. Cold, windy winters; the Platte River corridor holds most wintering birds. 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, from tallgrass prairie in the east to the Sandhills and shortgrass in the west.

Nesting in Nebraska

Across Nebraska, 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 with thunderstorms.

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 Nebraska plants that attract mockingbirds

Of the regional native plants we track for Nebraska, 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.

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.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Feeding mockingbirds through the Nebraska year

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

Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
In Nebraska's winter: Cold, windy winters; the Platte River corridor holds most wintering birds.

Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds

Frequently asked

Are mockingbirds in Nebraska year-round?

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

When do mockingbirds nest in Nebraska?

Nesting in Nebraska 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 Nebraska?

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

Other backyard birds in Nebraska

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped 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 Red-headed Woodpecker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Eastern Screech-Owl Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Black-billed Magpie Pygmy Nuthatch Spotted Towhee Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe White-crowned Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole 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.