Northern Mockingbird in Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
One of the most familiar birds in the Sonoran Desert is the Northern Mockingbird. They hunt insects and spiders eat a wide variety of fruits;
berries of lantana and pyracantha are mainstays. Males and females have similar plumage: nearly uniform gray except for long dark tail
and white patch in open wing. Males are the singers that often practice all night long on a concatenation of bird songs borrowed
from a variety of other bird species. Three plants in particular produce fruit attractive to mocking birds: Desert Mistletoe,
Fremont Thornbush, and Desert Hackberry.
Beautiful!