The Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) became Tennessee's "Official Bird" in (1933). The
mockingbird is akin to the brown thrasher and the catbird. It is ashen gray above, with darker, white-
edged wings and whitish underparts. The mockingbird is about ten inches in length, including its
relatively long tail. One of the finest singers among North American birds, it possesses a melodious
song of its own, but is noted for its skill in mimicking the songs of other birds. Its species name
comes from the Greek mimus to mimic, and ployglottos for "many-tongued.”
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