Northern Mockingbirds in Virginia
When mockingbirds are present in Virginia, when they nest, which native Virginia plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5b–8a yard.
- Status in Virginia
- Year-round resident
- Nesting window
- March–August
- Broods
- 2–3 per season
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5b–8a
When to expect mockingbirds in Virginia
Northern Mockingbirds live in Virginia all year. Moderate winters with periodic snow; purple finches and occasional northern finches visit feeders. 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 in the east, cooler and snowier in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny highlands.
Nesting in Virginia
Across Virginia, 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, humid summers; House Wrens and hummingbirds breed statewide.
- Northern Mockingbirds don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, spicebush, winterberry for nest sites.
- Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.
Native Virginia plants that attract mockingbirds
Of the regional native plants we track for Virginia, these 8 provide food or cover mockingbirds use:
Fall fruit.
High-fat red berries and caterpillar host.
Winter fruit.
Nectar and small fruit.
Winter cover.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Feeding mockingbirds through the Virginia year
Mockingbirds defend fruiting shrubs from other birds all winter; plant several berry bushes to spread them out.
- Best foods: Suet, Fruit, Mealworms.
- In Virginia's winter: Moderate winters with periodic snow; purple finches and occasional northern finches visit feeders.
Full diet breakdown for mockingbirds · Best feeder for mockingbirds
Frequently asked
Are mockingbirds in Virginia year-round?
Yes. Northern Mockingbirds are year-round residents in Virginia.
When do mockingbirds nest in Virginia?
Nesting in Virginia 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 Virginia?
Flowering dogwood, Spicebush, Winterberry, Trumpet honeysuckle, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac are native plants in Virginia that provide food or cover for mockingbirds.
Northern Mockingbirds in other regions
Other backyard birds in Virginia
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 — Virginia
- 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.