How Long Do Mockingbirds Live? (Northern Mockingbird Lifespan)

northern robin (Negative gossip) are known for their melodious songs and expert imitations of other bird calls. As they get older, they continue to add more melodies to their vast repertoire, which by late adulthood has around 150 different songs. But do these impressive singing skills have an effect on their ability to survive in the wild? Read on to learn more about the life expectancy of these melodious warblers.

The average lifespan of a wild mockingbird is about 8 years, but individual birds sometimes live beyond 14 years. For captive birds, the maximum life expectancy may be longer.

Free from hazards and predators in their natural habitat, mockingbirds can live up to 20 years in captivity. However, keeping mockingbirds as pets was discouraged, and the increased demand of the pet trade in the 19th century caused their numbers to decline severely.

Wild mockingbird populations have recovered, and today they are among the most widespread birds in the United States. To learn more about their life cycle and the factors that affect their survival, keep reading!

The average lifespan of a northern robin in the wild is about 8 years

How long do mockingbirds live in the wild?

In the wild, the average maximum lifespan of a mockingbird is about 8 years, but individual birds may live longer. The survival rate of juvenile birds is quite low, but once a mockingbird is an adult, it has a better chance of surviving to be 6 to 8 years old.

How long do mockingbirds live in captivity?

Mockingbirds have been recorded to live up to 20 years in captivity.

In the 19th century, mockingbirds were often kept in cages and considered attractive pets because of their beautiful songs and ability to imitate a variety of sounds. Even President Thomas Jefferson had a famous name named Dick.

For birds in captivity, removing the threat of feline predation and providing a guaranteed source of food, water and warmth offsets many of the natural challenges mockingbirds face in the wild.

Closeup shot of a mockingbird perched on a branch

How Do Most Mockingbirds Die?

Young mockingbirds, especially young mockingbirds, are often prey to house cats; cats have been found to be responsible for 70% of mockingbird nest attacks. In urban areas with large numbers of pet cats, the survival rate of young mockingbirds can be as low as 10%.

Other causes of death include disease, starvation, habitat loss and, in some urban areas, environmental pollution such as lead poisoning or pesticides.

What is the life cycle of a mockingbird?

Northern mockingbirds reach sexual maturity at one year old. Males use their impressive array of songs to attract females, and unmated males can often be heard singing 24 hours a day in search of a mate with whom to breed.

Mockingbirds form monogamous pairs, usually staying together throughout the breeding season. They have been known to mate occasionally for life. The female lays two to six eggs, which then hatch for nearly two weeks. Two to four litters are raised each year.

Newborn mockingbird chicks are fed by both parents in the nest, and by day 12 they are ready to leave the nest. Chicks will continue to be fed and cared for by both male and female for up to three weeks before gaining independence.

Juvenile birds are particularly vulnerable to cats, harpies, red-tailed hawks and kestrels. Both parents continue to be highly protective of their young, dive-bombing would-be predators and loudly harassing any bird, animal or human they perceive as a threat.

If a mockingbird survives to adulthood, it has a good chance of living to be between 6 and 8 years old.

Northern robin chick in nest

What are the mockingbird’s natural enemies?

Although mockingbirds are very loud and aggressive defenders of their breeding grounds, their nests, eggs, and young are frequent targets of raccoons, possums, snakes, and crows. In urban areas, young birds are at high risk of being predated by house cats. Eagles and other birds of prey also target chicks and adult mockingbirds.

Mockingbirds have an incredible sense of recall, and can remember previous threats to their territories, even the faces of people who have disturbed them in the past, research has shown. They are extremely aggressive birds and will attack if they feel their survival is threatened.

It’s unclear whether mockingbirds rely on their ability to imitate the calls of other birds as a defense against predators. Some studies have shown that mockingbirds mimic the calls of other birds to trick potential threats into thinking that there is a larger bird waiting and therefore not worth the risk of attacking.

Other sources disagree, saying mockingbirds call purely because mockingbirds like to master different sounds and like to do it through their own repertoire.

Northern mockingbird eating mealworms from a feeder in winter

How big was the oldest mockingbird?

One of the oldest wild mockingbirds is thought to have been more than 14 years and 10 months old when it was found dead in Texas in 2000 and put on the ring as an adult mockingbird in 1986. Getting through the first year of life is a major challenge for juvenile mockingbirds, but once they reach adulthood, there is a greater chance of living longer.

How long can a mockingbird live without eating?

Mockingbirds forage continuously from dawn to sunset, and even longer in well-lit urban areas. There’s no data on how long they can survive without food, but under optimal conditions they need to feed constantly and regularly, so it’s safe to assume they don’t have huge reserves to fall back on.

Robin perched on a rock

Can mockingbirds survive the winter?

Mockingbirds live year-round in many parts of the United States, although some birds from the northernmost populations do migrate south to escape the harshest winter conditions. Populations can suffer during particularly harsh winters; for example, mockingbird populations in Ohio declined significantly after the 1976-78 “cold snap.”

Northern Mockingbirds are very territorial, not only in their nesting grounds, but also in their winter territories where they compete with robins, starlings and woodpeckers for winter berries and fruit, so they are largely on their own toughness to get enough food to survive the winter.

Are mockingbirds endangered?

Mockingbirds are not currently classified as endangered or threatened, and there are as many as 45 million individuals in the United States. However, they are protected by federal and state laws, and it is against the law to kill or capture mockingbirds, take their eggs, or disturb their nesting sites.

Mockingbird numbers did decline in the 1800s, when they became a fashionable and popular pet for their melodious songs. Especially on the east coast of the United States, wild populations have declined dramatically.