I’m from the east coast originally, but now we live smack in the middle of the country. Back east (here, if you say ‘back east’, Chicago qualifies 
), mockingbirds were a favorite. We are a little west of their range, but we have the true mockingbird, the brown thrasher – it has a similar silhouette, but it is somewhat larger and is a rich brown that photos do not do it justice. The mockingbird imitates the cardinal’s several simple calls excellently, for instance, and takes itself seriously. The brown thrasher has an extensive repertoire of little ditties that it strings together that are fun and even funny to listen to, especially if you consider that it is poking fun at the mockingbird. 
Brown Thrasher crazy singing ♫♪♫♬♩