Sound Blog

mock · May 14, 2005 by Matt Gilbert

It’s already been pointed out many times that children today can’t identify the wide variety of birds and trees in their area, and instead can distinguish between an enormous number of brands, logos, and products. Whatever agony or shock there is at this loss of touch with nature has overshadowed an even more disturbing change in the behavior of the mockingbird. Sitting on my back porch one day, I heard someone’s cell phone ring. I was sure that it wasn’t my cell phone that was ringing. (This particular ringtone was an option on my phone, but much too obnoxious for my taste.) Trying to locate the sound, and noticing that I was alone out there, I realized that it was coming from above. Looking up at the trees, I noticed a mockingbird. It then precisely mimicked my neighbor’s car alarm chirps. And then like my car alarm. And then the ringtone again. Mockingbirds, as you probably know, are famous for their remarkable ability to catalogue all the various songs of birds and even frogs in their area. But I’m afraid this knowledge is quickly being lost, and the mockingbird will be divorced from nature, just as we are.

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