Tennessee State Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Fact-checked • Updated November 27, 2025
Tennessee State Bird – Northern Mockingbird
Tennessee recognized the Northern Mockingbird as the official state bird on April 19, 1933. Voters in the Tennessee Ornithological Society held an election earlier that year. Results showed a narrow lead. Lawmakers adopted the designation through a joint resolution. Why this choice?
Why Tennessee Chose This Bird
A single mockingbird sings up to 200 different songs during its lifetime. These include imitations of other birds, insects, frogs, and mechanical sounds like car alarms. Males repeat each phrase three to seven times before switching melodies. One unmated male sang 465 songs in just 26 minutes. This vocal variety impressed voters.
The Tennessee Ornithological Society organized the statewide campaign on April 11, 1933. Over 70,000 individuals cast votes. The mockingbird edged out the robin by only 480 votes. Cardinals came in third with 13,969 votes. Bobwhite received 10,460 votes and bluebird got 9,125.
Mockingbirds defend territories aggressively against intruders. They attack cats, dogs, hawks, and even humans without hesitation. John James Audubon painted a famous scene of mockingbirds attacking a rattlesnake. The image demonstrated their fearless defense of young. Even critics of their aggressive behavior acknowledge the species shows courage.
Legislative History
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Tennessee Ornithological Society Election (1933)
The Nashville Banner reported on April 16, 1933 that the Tennessee Ornithological Society selected the mockingbird through a special election held on April 11. The Society launched a statewide campaign to educate Tennesseans about choosing an official bird. The purpose was determining the preference of residents through democratic voting rather than legislative decree.
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Official Designation
Senate Joint Resolution No. 51 confirmed the mockingbird as Tennessee's state bird on April 19, 1933. The resolution was adopted by the 68th General Assembly. Unlike most states that record their state bird in statutory code, Tennessee's designation exists only in the joint resolution and never entered the Tennessee Code. This makes the mockingbird designation somewhat unusual from a legal documentation standpoint.
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Regional Popularity
Tennessee became the third state to choose the Northern Mockingbird, following Texas and Florida in 1927, and Arkansas in 1929. Mississippi would follow in 1944. All five states share southern geography, reflecting that mockingbirds have historically been birds of the southern United States. South Carolina once designated the mockingbird but replaced it with the Carolina wren in 1948.
What This Bird Represents
Southern Heritage
The mockingbird represents traditional southern character through its combination of vocal artistry and scrappy determination. Five southern states chose this bird, creating shared identity across the region. The bird appears in book titles, songs, lullabies, and popular culture throughout the South. Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' elevated the bird to national symbolic status representing innocence and moral courage.
Musical Excellence
Mockingbirds embody natural musical talent without formal training. They compose original songs and collect imitations throughout their lives. Older males accumulate larger repertoires, with song collections ranging from 43 to 203 different types depending on region. Choctaw Indians called the mockingbird hushi balbaha, meaning 'the bird that speaks a foreign language,' recognizing this remarkable vocal range centuries before scientific study.
Territorial Independence
These birds represent fierce independence and property rights. Each mockingbird considers its territory a personal kingdom. Intruders face immediate consequences regardless of size. This 'don't mess with me' attitude resonates with people who value self-reliance and protection of home and family. The bird's willingness to attack much larger threats shows that size doesn't determine courage.
Physical Characteristics
Size and Structure
Northern Mockingbirds measure 8 to 11 inches long, including a relatively long tail. Wingspan stretches 12 to 15 inches. Males weigh slightly more than females, averaging 51 grams compared to the female's 47 grams. Males range from 22 to 25.5 centimeters in length. Females measure 20.8 to 23.5 centimeters. The body appears slender with long legs, a long tail, and short rounded wings.
Coloration and Markings
Gray-brown upperparts cover the back and head. Underparts show white or whitish-gray coloring. A large white patch marks each wing, connected by parallel wing bars that create a distinctive appearance during flight. Black central tail feathers contrast with white outer tail feathers, especially noticeable when the bird flies. The bill grows long, black, and somewhat decurved. Males and females look nearly identical except for size and slightly darker tail feathers on females.
Juvenile Appearance
Young mockingbirds display spotted breast plumage that adults lack. Juveniles show similar gray and white patterns but with softer tones. They develop adult plumage during their first year. The spotted breast helps identify birds still learning their song repertoires. Juveniles practice singing by jumbling sounds before forming clear, organized phrases.
Behavior and Song
Mimicry Abilities
Mockingbirds possess a specialized vocal organ called the syrinx that allows production of complex sounds. They imitate songs of other bird species, calls of animals including cats, dogs, frogs, and crickets, plus mechanical sounds like car alarms, musical instruments, warning bells, cell phones, rusty hinges, and unoiled wheels. Males begin singing in late January to February and continue through summer. Singing establishes territory and advertises for mates.
Song Patterns and Learning
Males sing almost endlessly, especially during mating season. Song slows once they secure a female partner, then picks up again after eggs hatch before potential second nesting. Mockingbirds continue adding to their repertoire as they age, unlike birds that stop learning after their first year. Each bird develops a unique playlist. Females sing too but remain generally quieter and less vocal than males. Female singing occurs sporadically, mainly when the male is away from territory.
Aggressive Territorial Defense
These birds fiercely defend nests and surrounding areas against all intruders. They attack animals much larger than themselves, including hawks. When predators persist, mockingbirds from neighboring territories respond to distinct alarm calls and join the defense. Other birds gather to watch as mockingbirds drive away intruders. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, an incident involving a postal carrier resulted in distribution of a warning letter to residents about aggressive mockingbirds.
Habitat and Range
Preferred Environments
Northern Mockingbirds inhabit areas with open ground and shrubby vegetation. They thrive in parkland, cultivated land, suburbs, residential areas, farmlands, roadsides, and city parks. Open grassy areas with thickets and brushy deserts also attract them. They require trees or higher perches from which to defend territories. Invasive multiflora rose thickets particularly appeal to them.
Year-Round Residency
Tennessee's mockingbird population doesn't migrate. Birds remain in the same territory throughout the year. Some adults spend entire years as mated pairs on single territories. Others establish distinct breeding and wintering territories. Northern populations migrate south for winter, but southern birds stay put. The breeding season extends from late March into August in Tennessee, with pairs producing as many as four broods annually.
Nesting Behavior
Males and females build open cup-nests together from dead twigs lined with grasses, rootlets, and dead leaves. Nests sit low in dense shrubs, deciduous trees, and small evergreens, usually 3 to 10 feet above ground, sometimes ranging from 1 to 60 feet. Females lay normally 3 to 5 eggs that appear pale blue or greenish white with red or brown blotches. Females alone incubate eggs for 12 to 13 days. Both adults feed nestlings, which fledge about 12 days after hatching.
Interesting Facts
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Nestling mockingbirds banded in Nashville have been recaptured 200 miles away, demonstrating significant dispersal distances for young birds.
Northern Mockingbird Songs & Calls
Hear the clear whistles and sharp calls of the Northern Mockingbird. These field recordings capture their distinctive voice in natural habitat.
Audio licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Also the State Bird of:
Sources & References
This article has been researched using authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. All information has been fact-checked and verified against official government records and scientific databases.
Official state agency page detailing the 1933 adoption, behavior, nesting, and habitat information • Accessed: November 30, 2025
Historical account of the Tennessee Ornithological Society election and designation • Accessed: November 30, 2025
Comprehensive species guide with identification, behavior, and vocal abilities • Accessed: November 30, 2025
Scientific overview including mimicry research, territorial behavior, and mating patterns • Accessed: November 30, 2025
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