Northern mockingbirds are territorial birds that can be extremely good at breeding – scientists once recorded a female that managed to lay 27 eggs in a single season! They are the only species out of 16 with the name “mockingbird” that are native to the US. Northern mockingbirds can mimic sounds of rusty hinges, whistling, cackling hens, and dog barks they can mimic so well that it’s very hard to tell a difference even with an electronic analysis. The Latin name of this bird translates to “many-tongued mimic,” and for a reason – a northern mockingbird can imitate chirps of up to 35 species and learn over 200 different songs in its lifetime. Those white patches help them to show off during the mating season and to flash them when defending territory against some snakes and hawks. In case you see one while it’s flying, you will notice the large white patches on its black wings and tail. You will easily identify them by their gray plumage with whitish underparts and long tails. Northern mockingbirds are widespread and can be seen in habitats ranging from open country to suburbs. This medium-sized songbird is a permanent resident of Central Florida and can be seen there throughout the year. The northern mockingbird has been the state bird of Florida since 1927. It is the provincial bird of Nova Scotia.Central Florida Birds Northern Mockingbird Other names include sea hawk, fish hawk, river hawk and fish eagle. Ospreys are members of Pandionidae, the family of ospresys. At one point in the 1950s, ospreys where critically endangered from pesticides and other pollutants, but their population has rebounded significantly with the passage of environmental protection laws, particularly the ban on DDT. It is a fairly common bird to spot, but a cool one no matter how many you've seen before. Young ospreys can be in the nest nearly two months. It's not a problem if food is plentiful, but if times are hard, the younger chicks can starve to death.

The eggs are layed over a period of days, meaning the young emerge over a period of days, giving older hatchlings an advantage over their younger brothers and sisters. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs. They typically raise one brood a year females usually lay a clutch of three eggs, which can take as long as six weeks to hatch. Males gather the material females arrange it. Nest are built of sticks and lined with bark, grass, vines and other soft material. Ospreys nest within 12 miles of a source of food - a body of water with plenty of fish. Ospreys are found on every continent except Antarctica. Florida is among the few spots on the map where they live year round. Ospreys range over most of North America, coast-to-coast, and winter as far south as Argentina and Chile.

Ospreys can reach nearly two feet in length, their wingspan nearly six feet. Eagles will force ospreys to drop their catch, then dive and pluck the fish in mid-air. Both birds occupy similar habitats, and can compete for food. The white underside separates the two - ospreys are the only raptor so marked. They're similar in appearance to the bald eagle, but ospreys are smaller and lankier than the eagle. At a distance, ospreys appear to be black and white, but seen up close, the dark portions become shades of brown. Their fish-heavy diet and their ability to dive into water to catch their prey are also unique in the hawk world. Its size, hooked, raptor's bill and dark mask around the eyes and side of head and neck distinguish the osprey from other hawks. Ospreys will on occasion down a bird, small mammal or snake. They have a reversible toe and barbed pads on their feet to help them catch and carry their prey. They eat mostly fish and are amazingly efficient at catching them - according to Cornell Labs, it takes an osprey on average about 12 minutes of hunting to nab a meal. They'll perch and nest atop dead trees and electrical poles eating one meal or waiting to catch the next. Ospreys are year-round residents of the Sunshine State, and a common sight near open water, be it fresh or salt. Ospreys, Pandiion haliaetus, are the world travelers among hawks, often flying from one end of the hemisphere to the other, from the Arctic to the pampas of Argentina and back during their twice-yearly commute.īut Florida is an exception.

Florida birds of prey