never have i seen such a tenacious bird as the mocking bird. they defend their turf like nobody's business, going up against feral cats and other birds - even much larger birds like the turkey vulture so common to central texas. just this morning as max and i were out walking, i saw a pair of mockingbirds swooping and dive "bombing" a cat, chasing it away from their nesting tree - continuing to chase the cat across the street until the cat finally sought refuge under a parked car. then the birds still squawked and continue to swoop down, letting their feline enemy know that they mean business! i'm not sure who the voting committee was or what other birds were up for review, but considering the determination and some would say hard-headedness of us texans, the mockingbird is the perfect choice! one can see them perched on just about anything that they can find - from cars, to fire hydrants, to clothes lines, to telephone poles, as if to survey all they can see as their domain. i have seen them attack dogs as well - our lady, a terrier mix, would delight in gobbling up any unfortunate hatchling that fell out of the nest but then would have to endure the punishment from the parents.
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