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Mocking-bird
Adult--Upper parts bluish or ashy gray; under parts buffy or grayish white.
Immature birds have the breast and sides spotted. Length--10.50.
Breeding Range--From southern Illinois and New Jersey (rarely Massachusetts) southward.
The nest is built of twigs, strips of bark, fine roots, weeds, and sometimes rags; the lining is of feathers, hair, and fine roots. It is placed either in a tangle of undergrowth or in trees such as the orange, cedar, water oak, etc. The eggs are pale green or buffy gray, with spots and blotches of reddish or yellowish brown. Size--.95 x .70.
So well known is the Mocking-bird as a songster that but little need be said of it here. The young are easily reared, but my experience leads me to believe that they are not easily tamed; those that I have had were nervous and rather wild, and never cared to be handled even when quite young. I am rather surprised to see that certain writers speak of the immature mocking-bird as being similar to the adults. All those that I have reared have kept the spots on the breast until almost four months old. The breeding season begins early in May, and several broods are reared.