 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
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Atlas Results
Consistent with the historical pattern of observation, 10 Northern Mockingbird observations were made south of the boreal forest with an additional observation in the city of Prince Albert. Most observations are of possible breeders observed in suitable habitat during the breeding season or less frequently observed singing. One bird east of Biggar remained on territory for at least a month in 2017 and was observed constructing a flimsy nest.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Aptly named, it is a masterful mimic of almost anything heard on its territory, from blackbirds to barking dogs. Pugnacious and highly territorial, Mockingbirds fear little, dive-bombing homeowners who mistakenly believe they are the rightful proprietors. Saskatchewan is not in the regular range of this mockingbird, whose normal distribution is from southern Oregon in the west and the Maritimes in the east, south to southern Mexico and the Greater Antilles; there is some withdrawal from northern portions of the range during the winter.
There is little information on breeding habitat in Saskatchewan, but most nests have been closely associated with human habitation (Brazier 1964a, Smith 1996). Birds that remain into the winter are usually associated with bird feeders (Belcher 1980) or berries and other fruit, such as mountain-ash berries and crabapples (Alison Philips in Leighton et al. 2002).
The Northern Mockingbird is a rare summer resident or transient and very rare winter visitant (Smith 1996). There are only 5 breeding records: Wilcox (1934), Truax (1935), Dundurn (1977), Pike Lake (1979), and Govenlock (1983) (Smith 1996, Leighton et al. 2002).
Original text by Paul Chytyk. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Northern Mockingbird in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Northern Mockingbird in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=NOMO&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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