Yesterday while doing some outdoor chores, we found a Florida Mockingbird nest inside a Robellini palm tree in our front yard. There are 4 baby mockingbirds inside the nest, still very young with their eyes shut.
Here's some info about the Mockingbird nesting habits. The nest is constructed by both the male and female, though the male does most of the work while the female perches close-by watching out for predators. Three to five eggs are laid by the female and then she incubates the eggs for about 11 to 13 days. Once the eggs are hatched, both parents are responsible for feeding the baby chicks for about 12 days. So the entire timeframe from incubation to fledging is 23 to 25 days.
The parents will aggressively protect their nest and surrounding area against other birds and animals. When a predator is persistent, mockingbirds from neighboring territories, summoned by a distinct call, may join the attack. Other birds may gather to watch as the mockingbirds harass the intruder. In addition, it is not unheard of for mockingbirds to target humans. They are absolutely unafraid and will attack much larger birds too, even hawks. I've actually witnessed this a few days ago as two mockingbirds chased away a hawk from a tree.
June 19, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Hello, those little ones are so cute! I just found a Mockingbird nest outside my kitchen window with 2 eggs in it (in my confederate jasmine). I am curiuos though, as the momma doesn't sit on the eggs all the time, did you notice this as well?
June 23, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Actually we didn't notice the eggs right away here. In fact, we found this nest after the little ones already emerged from their eggs. Perhaps the hot weather has something to do with it in your case. Nice place for a nest view too, nothing better than a window seat. :)
May 26, 2021 at 4:55 PM
We had 3 babies, one very small one was being pushed from the nest, I took it to a bird rescue center, the parents were coming to feed the other two so we just watched from our window. I didn't see the parents coming to the nest as usual so we went out and looked into the nest, it was empty I am heart broken, I don't think they were big enough to fly yet. Would the parents have moved them? the nest was still intact. I don't think they were more than a week old.