Northern Mockingbirds in Pennsylvania
When mockingbirds are present in Pennsylvania, when they nest, which native Pennsylvania plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5a–7b yard.
- Status in Pennsylvania
- Year-round resident
- Nesting window
- March–August
- Broods
- 2–3 per season
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5a–7b
When to expect mockingbirds in Pennsylvania
Northern Mockingbirds live in Pennsylvania all year. Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state. 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; cold, snowy winters in the north and mountains, milder in the southeast.
Nesting in Pennsylvania
Across Pennsylvania, 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.
Warm summers; bluebirds typically raise two broods.
- Northern Mockingbirds don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as winterberry, black cherry, white oak for nest sites.
- Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.
Native Pennsylvania plants that attract mockingbirds
Of the regional native plants we track for Pennsylvania, these 8 provide food or cover mockingbirds use:
Winter fruit.
Summer fruit and a major caterpillar host.
Acorns and insects.
Fall seed.
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.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Feeding mockingbirds through the Pennsylvania year
Mockingbirds defend fruiting shrubs from other birds all winter; plant several berry bushes to spread them out.
- Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
- In Pennsylvania's winter: Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state.
Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds
Frequently asked
Are mockingbirds in Pennsylvania year-round?
Yes. Northern Mockingbirds are year-round residents in Pennsylvania.
When do mockingbirds nest in Pennsylvania?
Nesting in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
Winterberry, Black cherry, White oak, New England aster, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac are native plants in Pennsylvania that provide food or cover for mockingbirds.
Northern Mockingbirds in other regions
Other backyard birds in Pennsylvania
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 — Pennsylvania
- 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.