Juvenile Mockingbird in a Tree in album Newark, DE

In Albums: Newark, DE birds

Jun 2nd, 2006, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows a juvenile northern mockingbird perched in a tree on the University of Delaware's campus in Newark, DE.

Juvenile mockingbirds look a lot like adult mockingbirds in terms of most plumage details. It is hard for me to explicitly verbalize the differences in visual details that allow me to identify this bird as a juvenile. The bill is perhaps the clearest giveaway...the bill looks softer and more delicate. Also, note how this bird is perched...it is clinging closely to the branch, holding its body against the branch. An adult mockingbird would perch more upright, with its legs visibly extending off the branch. (This bird later did stand up, after I took this photo.) Overall, the bird's plumage is also slightly duller.

This bird was making a feeding call quite frequently, a wheezy sound that is very unlike the other bold, loud calls mockingbirds make.