Spring is upon us, and the bird calls have only just begun. Did you know that Florida’s state bird is the mockingbird? Mockingbirds were chosen as the official state bird in 1927, the same year Texas declared mockingbirds their official bird too! Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi also chose the mockingbird as their state bird, although later than Florida. Mockingbirds are arboreal songbirds; arboreal simply refers to a bird that nests on tree branches and seldom comes to the ground for foraging purposes. Mockingbirds have extraordinary vocal abilities – they can sing up to 200 songs, including the songs of other birds and can also mimic (or mock) insect, amphibian, and mechanical sounds.
