Here is a bird utterly unknown to the average citizen of Pennsylvania. It lives in the open fields or on bald hill-tops. The Pipit walks daintily, after the manner of a Horned Lark, and if frightened springs into the air, to bound away, uttering its simple call-note, tsit-tsit, tsit-tsit, as it disappears high in air. It almost constantly moves its tail in a wagging manner. The white-edged outer feathers should be noted.
Pipit
MOCKINGBIRD
Mimus polyglottos polyglottos (Linnæus)
Description.—Length of Robin, but slenderer. Light gray above, with whitish line above eye; wings and tail dark brown-gray, the primaries basally white, the outer tail-feathers white; underparts grayish white; eye pale yellow. Length: 10½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare and irregular in the southernmost counties, where it may occur at any time of the year. It occasionally nests.
Nest.—Bulky, of twigs, lined with rootlets, placed in a bush or low tree. Eggs: 4 to 6, pale green-blue, spotted and blotched all over with brown.
The Mocker’s song is world-famous. It is a remarkable medley of bird-songs, varied with a few original whistles and cries. While singing, this bird often leaps into the air, to tumble back to his perch with loosely flashing wings and tail. He sometimes sings for hours at night. While rare in Pennsylvania, he seems to be extending his range gradually northward.
Mockingbird
CATBIRD
Dumetella carolinensis (Linnæus)
Description.—Smaller than Robin; slate gray with blackish crown, tail and wings, and rich red-brown under tail-coverts. Length: Almost 9 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Abundant migrant and summer resident from late April to early October, especially common in more cultivated districts; usually rare in wilder woodlands.
Nest.—A large, bulky structure of twigs, lined with rootlets or grape-vine bark. Eggs: 3 to 5, deep blue-green, glossy. Nests are placed in thickets or bushy trees, from 3 to 15 feet from the ground.