I stayed at a hotel near Cottage Hospital once, and I soon discovered that a northern mockingbird was staying there also. At first this bird annoyed me, especially as it seemed to sing all night and kept me awake. Soon, however, my annoyance turned to fascination, and I researched the species online. Later, when I went home, I studied up on mockingbirds in all of my bird books.
The northern mockingbird is not particularly rare and is found in a variety of habitats. It is quite commonly observed in Santa Barbara and in other urban and suburban areas. This bird is known for its loud, mimicking song. The scientific name of the northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, means "many-tongued mimic" due to the fact that these birds can mimic many sounds.
They most often imitate the sounds of various birds, but their repertoire may also include sounds such as those of frogs and car alarms. Mockingbirds continue to learn new sounds throughout their lives and have been known to learn as many as 200 sounds. A mockingbird will often sing 10-15 different songs at a stretch, and it will repeat each one several times before going on to a new song.