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Getting Rid of Mockingbirds

Chalked-browed mockingbird opening its mouth.
While some people enjoy the varied song and antics of the mockingbird, others view them as too noisy and territorial. If you are part of the second camp then you may be looking for a way to encourage them to move on. This is a page about getting rid of mockingbirds.
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September 6, 2013

  1. Mockingbirds, among other species, are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to interfere with wild and nesting birds. For this reason, it is inadvisable to remove or heavily prune trees and hedges during nesting season. To avoid being targeted by an aggressive mockingbird, September - February are more suitable times to make significant landscaping changes.The Northern Mockingbird: What You Should Know
     

  2. Mockingbirds are attracted to forest edges, parks, small trees, freshly-cut lawns and to the tops of utility poles in suburban areas. They often nest in dense, low shrubs. If Mockingbirds are attracted to your property, it may be a consequence of the food sources it provides. Consider covering berry bushes with netting or add an additional bird feeder to a different area of the property to allow other species to get in on the action.

  3. Mockingbirds may behave aggressively toward some species of birds, such as crows and hawks. Songbirds that mockingbirds tolerate within their territories may benefit from mockers' efforts to protect the area from mutual threats, however. Predation may occur from squirrels and snakes. The most common threat to wild and nesting birds, however, are ordinary house cats. If your area has a feral cat problem, please report the problem to animal control. If you are a pet owner, keep your cat indoors, particularly from dusk to dawn. Doing so protects cats and birds alike. Just as birds are common victims of cats, outdoor cats may fall victim to coyotes and raccoons, among other nocturnal threats.

  4. Studies have shown that mockingbirds have the capacity to recognize individuals. They are capable of distinguishing between people and pets they view as threats and those they do not. Dive-bomb attacks by mockingbirds are most likely to occur during nesting season, which may begin as early as March and extend as late as August. To avoid being targeted by an over-protective mockingbird, keep your distance. Do not disturb a nesting site or approach their young during the fledgling stage (up to three weeks after leaving the nest).

  5. Mockingbirds in search of a mate may sing night and day. If a lonely male mockingbird is causing you to lose sleep on a spring or summer night, make use of earplugs and/or a white-noise generator (an air purifier, for example). If a mockingbird fails to attract a mate, he will abandon the territory.

  6. Mockingbirds consume grasshoppers and other garden pests. They are not believed to represent a significant agricultural threat.

  7. Mockingbirds that reside where winters are harsh may migrate South.

  8. Mockingbirds do not flock. A single individual or mated pair may occupy a 1-2-acre territory, and that territory may shift in the fall/winter vs. spring/summer.

Source: http://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/northern-mockingbird/ Book: "The Mockingbird" by Robin W. Doughty

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3 Questions

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January 25, 2010

We have a Mocking bird that rules our property. We enjoy the red birds, blue birds and beautiful yellow finches, but this Mocking bird will not allow them to feed at the feeders we have provided for them. He doesn't want to eat, just doesn't want any other birds in the yard. Our kitty has to walk along side of the house under bushes. What can we do?

By Littleredcheeks from Winchester, TN

Answers


Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 147 Feedbacks
January 26, 20100 found this helpful

Stop feeding them. We have plenty birds, no trouble with any of them. They get plenty seed in our lawn & trees, good luck.

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January 28, 20103 found this helpful

Hello,
I had a mockingbird that nested in a bush outside of our window and it was really mean and made a terrible mess on the window sill and on my car mirror. I got a cheap plastic toy snake at the dollar store and hung it in the bush where he nested and he left within a day and never returned.

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If you know where he is nesting you could try this. It is worth a try. I wouldn't suggest putting it near the feeder or it will also scare away the other birds. Good Luck!

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January 28, 20102 found this helpful

The plastic snake is a good idea! Also, try putting up one or two more bird feeders. The mockingbird will run himself ragged trying to keep the other birds from all of the feeders.

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January 29, 20101 found this helpful

Mockingbirds are very territorial, and quite fearless as you have found out! Do you have a suet feeder? They often go for that... put it as far away from the seed feeders as possible to make the mockingbird have to work harder.

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For that matter, spread all your feeders farther apart, some on each side of the house. The other birds will learn to outwit him and have better survival skills for it.

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August 26, 20165 found this helpful

Had two mocking birds move into my bushes about a month ago. Didn't know what they were but were terrorizing anyone who came near. After a week of having to take cover just to get to my car I took some pictures and sent them to my brother to identify. Once I discovered they were mocking birds, I looked them up and played a you tube video of a singing mockingbird. One of the birds came right up the window where I was playing tune on my phone.

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I then got the idea to search for predator bird sounds. Found a hawk which played for quite awhile. He didn't seem to like that as he retreated somewhat. So I started to play the hawk sounds on my phone just so I could go back and forth from my car without being dive bombed. After 2 days of predator bird sounds as needed for my own protection they just left the area.

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April 23, 20172 found this helpful

red tailed hawk - sound, call, and screech

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June 3, 20170 found this helpful

Cornell Lab of Ornathology webpage. They have calls for all kinds of different birds. Used the hawk sounds to scare away Towhees that chirped all through my first pregnancy!!

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May 22, 20182 found this helpful

I'm nearly at the point of pulling out a shotgun - temporary insanity will be easy to prove. But before that, I'm going to make a recording the the bird itself and then play that recording during the day. Apparently the mockingbird will try to out chirp its own recording and eventually become too exhausted to sing st sing.

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It's a bit like keeping a kid up late so they sleep. ( yes, I'm sure there will be lots of very furious haters if this answer :-) )

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June 23, 20181 found this helpful

Thanks for the predatory bird sound idea! I played this YouTube sound overnight and our noisy visitor is gone! One night!

youtu.be/bb3RGAP-hbI

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
June 23, 20180 found this helpful

I love the idea of YouTube to scare off birds!! WOW!!! I need to remember that! We get blue birds that nest in our one tree and they are mean! I will google their enemy and find that sound!

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SO SMART!!! What did we do before technology? Got dive bombed by angry bird moms mostly!!! Thanks for sharing this!!!

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October 8, 20180 found this helpful

I love them 'yes they are terratorial and will swoop at ya to keep a distance from babies. And they go after Ravens . Tought little bird and loud

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November 17, 20180 found this helpful

I am at my wits end with a mockingbird that constantly fights all my other little birds trying to eat. Believe me, I am ready to buy a BB gun and shoot it!! This summer it sat in the top of my tree and sang so pretty but now its back to fighting the others! I just watched it flying back and forth from the neighbors yard back to mine. I feel so sorry for my other birds that stay here the year around. Last winter I did place a feeder in the front yard but since I have about 20 little birds that live in the shrubbery there, they kept my side walks and drive way pretty nasty pooping so much. Seems like I am damned if I do or don't!

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May 2, 20190 found this helpful

I have one outside on the light post and he's driving me crazy. These are birds from hell.

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May 2, 20190 found this helpful

LMAO this could be delightful. I think I'll buy some bird feeders.. I really hate noisy birds. If he would stay quiet I would provide all the food he needs as I do love most birds. Right now I feed the crows because they scare the mocking birds away.

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October 24, 2018

We are staying at this RV park right now and we have this annoying mockingbird that will attack everybody's windows. I'm pretty sure it sees its reflection. Every single day it will go to our window and slam into it and peck it, including our new truck when it's here.

This has gone on for 2 weeks straight now and I'm starting to lose sleep over the little brat. I've even got videos of it attacking other peoples' vehicles and RVs. Does anyone know of anything to scare it away?

Answers


Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
October 24, 20180 found this helpful

I have had some luck scaring away a variety of birds by hanging unwanted CDs from strings in front of whatever I want to keep them away from. If it is a car window, you can use those little safe suction cups and string them from a old shoelace or piece of yarn. Most birds hate the reflection and keep away. My friend went so far (but she is super creative) of making a thing a ma jig shaped like an owl that was affixed to a post that was put in front of her garden and that worked until the weather destroyed it after a few summers.

Wishing you an easy solution to scare them away!

PS...this guy shows you how to make the kind I like but with metal chain

youtu.be/9Hcdz1I_yi8

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
October 24, 20180 found this helpful

The shiny surface of a CD will scare the birds.

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Silver Answer Medal for All Time! 424 Answers
October 24, 20181 found this helpful

Most birds do not like wind chimes, the noise scares then away. Also birds do not like shiny objects, you can make your own using coat hangers , take aluminum foil, cut in strips and tie hanging down from the coat hanger. Hope this is of help, good luck !!

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February 25, 20190 found this helpful

Shoot it! Or try a plastic snake

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