‘King of Song’: The Northern Mockingbird

Nature’s suburban showman has an extensive musical repertoire.

A northern mockingbird sings its lovely tune from a maple branch at Delaware’s Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Scenic Corner/Shutterstock

Author Annie Dillard once asked a simple but poignant question about the northern mockingbird in her best-selling book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.” “It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?”

A simple question—a complex bird.