The song “The Great Pretender” originally released in 1955 by The Platters has been covered by a number of bands over the years. Some of our feathered friends have their own versions of this song. The avian band members would include none other than the Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher and our year-round member, the Blue Jay. While the song's meaning may not be the same, these birds have an amazing repertoire of sounds, wildlife and bird calls they mimic.

You could say that the northern mockingbird’s song is a love song. If you happen to hear one singing at night, he’s letting the females know he’s available. These night singers are either young males or older fellows who have lost their mate. The better the singer, the more attractive he is to the females. Mockingbirds have been known to have as many as 200 songs and can add to that number over the years. In this group the brown thrashers hold the record with an astonishing 2,000 in their repertoire!

While all of these birds are monogamous during the breeding season, blue jays and northern mockingbirds have been known to stay together for life. Blue Jays will mourn the loss of a mate showing a decline in social activity and less vocalization.

Blue Jays are easy to attract to your yards as they relish sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet. If you would like to attract the rest of the group you could offer dried fruit mixes, raisins, grapes and mealworms in a separate platform feeder. If you have a grape jelly feeder for orioles, don’t be surprised if you see the catbird stopping by for a snack. These birds will all welcome a refreshing bird bath too!

Now, you may be wondering how to tell them apart by song. Of course, we’re all familiar with the blue jay’s raucous calls, but they will also mimic other sounds. I have one in my neighbourhood that does an amazing job mimicking a Red-tailed Hawk. He knows how to clear the yard so he gets the feeders all to himself. A northern mockingbird repeats each song three times, while brown thrashers repeat songs twice and catbirds only once.

Bird songs are beautiful to listen to and enjoy, especially during the spring and summer months. It’s always fun to expand your listening skills with our seasonal visitors. See if you can learn to distinguish the songs of the mockingbird, catbird and thrasher this summer. Don’t forget, the catbird will also throw in a ‘meow’ as a clue.

Happy Summer Birding!

Jane Paradis

Brand Ambassador- Urban Nature Store