The mockingbird

   The mockingbird is an American bird of song. Not only does it have a beautiful song of its own, but it can mimic all the other birds. Recordings have been made to prove that one mockingbird can imitate thirty-nine bird songs, fifty bird calls, the notes of a frog and a cricket. Mockingbirds are related to the catbird and brown thrasher.
   The mockingbird is nine to eleven inches long and drably feathered. Males and females are similar with ash-gray on the upper parts. The wings and tails are darker. Underparts are white, sometimes tinged with pearl gray. The wings and tails have white markings.
   Mockingbirds live mainly in eastern, southern, and Midwestern United States in brushy areas near farms, gardens, and parks. The female lays three to six pale, greenish-blue spotted eggs. They feed on insects, wild fruits, and weed seeds.