Northern Mockingbirds in New Mexico

Northern Mockingbirds live in New Mexico all year. Cold nights and sunny days; many desert and mountain birds move to lower elevations. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward holly, hackberry, pokeweed and multiflora fruit.

Arid to semi-arid, with Chihuahuan desert in the south and mountain forest above 7,000 ft.

Across New Mexico, 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, dry early summer followed by the July–August monsoon.

• Northern Mockingbirds don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as smooth sumac, black cherry, american elderberry for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Of the regional native plants we track for New Mexico, 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 New Mexico's winter: Cold nights and sunny days; many desert and mountain birds move to lower elevations.

Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds