The Copycat on the Fence
1Early one spring morning, Imogen and Grandpa Elias sat on the back steps. A gray bird with a long tail landed on the fence.
2"Listen," Grandpa whispered. "That bird is a mockingbird."
3The bird whistled a sweet tune three times. Then it gave a loud, scratchy cry. "Wasn't that a blue jay?" Imogen asked.
4Grandpa chuckled. "It sounded like a blue jay, but the mockingbird made that sound," he said. "Mockingbirds copy the songs of other birds."
5Just then, Imogen's little brother Otis came outside. The screen door gave its long, rusty squeak behind him. A moment later, the mockingbird squeaked the very same way.
6"It sounds just like our door!" Otis shouted.
7"It has heard that door many times," Grandpa said with a smile.
8"Shh, you will scare it away," Imogen said. The bird flicked its tail and flew to the roof. White patches flashed on its wings.
9Otis sat down and asked, "What will it copy next?"
10"I don't know," said Grandpa, "but if we sit very still, we might find out."