Winn McArthur
1/25/2019
Mockingbird Aggression
Why are the mockingbirds in urban areas acting so aggressive as of the past two years?
This is the question everyone cannot stop asking about. According to a study by Dr. Jordan
Karubian of Tulane University’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, there is a
sub-lethal amount of lead in urban area open water sources. This has lead to mockingbird
aggression in southern urban areas like New Orleans recently. To test this theory, a team from
Tulane set up a tripod with a mockingbird on it and played mockingbird notes from a speaker to
see if any mockingbirds would have a significant reaction. The mockingbirds are most protective
when they are building a nest, and the tripod was set up within 25 feet of a nest being constructed
at the time. The mockingbirds were immediately alarmed by the intruder and fluttered around the
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- Fall '19
