On July 19, I spotted a Northern Mockingbird gathering material in my Arkansas yard. It was the same bird I had been seeing without tail feathers. This new behavior gave me another look at how the bird was getting along.
Northern Mockingbird Gathering Material
The mockingbird moved across the ground with a thin piece of plant material in its beak. Its long tail feathers were still missing, making its body look unusually short.
I recently shared the mystery behind this bird in The Mystery of a Mockingbird Without a Tail. That post included another photograph of the bird and a clump of possible mockingbird tail feathers.
I found those feathers lodged inside a fallen nest on my property. However, I could not prove that they belonged to this particular bird. I also had no way to determine what caused the sudden tail loss.
The July 19 encounter did not answer those questions. However, it showed the mockingbird continuing with an important part of its daily life.
Gathering material strongly suggests that the bird was involved in an active nesting effort.
Photographing the Tailless Mockingbird at Work
I photographed the mockingbird while it searched through the grass and low vegetation. The nesting material in its beak helped tell the story.
A still photograph shows the missing tail clearly. Video provides a better look at how the bird moved while gathering material.
I recorded a short video during the encounter. You can watch the Northern Mockingbird gathering nesting material in my Arkansas yard.
The bird’s movements looked purposeful as it searched the ground. It picked up material and continued with the task despite its unusual appearance.
That does not prove the bird escaped its earlier tail loss without injury. Still, seeing it active and gathering nest material was encouraging.
Another Chapter in the Missing-Tail Story
This encounter adds another chapter to a backyard mystery that began several weeks ago. First, I noticed the bird without its long tail. Then I found the fallen nest containing a clump of black-and-white feathers.
Now I have photographed and recorded the same tailless mockingbird gathering nesting material. I still cannot connect all those details with certainty.
The bird may have escaped a predator or suffered another type of trauma. Whatever happened, it continues moving around my yard and taking part in nesting activity.
I will keep watching for signs of new tail growth. I will also watch for more nesting behavior. The missing feathers remain a mystery, but the mockingbird is giving me more of its story.