mockingbird

American  

[mok-ing-burd] / ˈmɒk ɪŋˌbɜrd /

noun

• mockingbirds
  plural

1. any of several gray, black, and white songbirds of the genus Mimus, especially M. polyglottos, of the U.S. and Mexico, noted for their ability to mimic the songs of other birds.

2. any of various related or similar birds, as Melanotis caerulescens blue mockingbird, of Mexico.

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mockingbird British  

/ ˈmɒkɪŋˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any American songbird of the family Mimidae, having a long tail and grey plumage: noted for their ability to mimic the song of other birds

2. a small scrub bird, Atrichornis rufescens , noted for its mimicry

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mockingbirds
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mockingbird

1670–80, mocking ( def. ) + bird

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mockingbird mockingbirds

They want to replace the mockingbird, which has held the top perch for 99 years, with the American flamingo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

"There's that mockingbird out there," Wayne tells Stella, as smiles flicker across their faces.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025

They also recognized acorn woodpeckers, a California towhee, dozens of turkey vultures circling overhead, a dark-eyed junco, a mockingbird, an Anna’s hummingbird and a black phoebe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023

“This started as a drawing and became a collage which I’ve just completed. It’s a mockingbird, and some of the pieces of paper are piano sheet music.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

It was a jumble, it was a mishmash, and somehow she pulled it all together, somehow she threaded every different thing through the voice of a solitary mockingbird singing in the desert.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

Sometimes, Gordillo sunbathes in the backyard by the tangerine tree and listens to the mockingbirds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2022

Smaller birds defer to bigger birds, scooting off the feeding bench when jays or mockingbirds come in for a landing.

From Washington Post ● May 9, 2022

Even before the American Revolution, Jefferson had taken a liking to mockingbirds, and he brought this affection to the White House, which they filled with melodious song.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2022

Their work illuminates an elaborate hidden hierarchy: Northern mockingbirds and red-bellied woodpeckers are pugnacious for their size, but both would give way if a truly dominant bird like an American crow descended upon the feeder.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2021

In a few years, they became extinct in the wild, but not before they had mated with female mockingbirds, creating an entirely new species.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

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