Red foxes can be found in most places in the U.S., including both wilderness areas and urban neighborhoods. It’s not too rare to see a red fox, although watching one ignore the repeated attacks of a bird may be less common.
One outdoor enthusiast captured a video of a very unbothered red fox:
In the clip, a fox walks briskly down a road in Maryland while a mockingbird repeatedly strikes at its hind side.
“The most interesting video I’ve ever taken lol,” wrote Frank Bolinsky in his post. “The foxes in Ocean City have seen things and are unbothered.”
Some in the comments speculated about what might be happening between the two animals. One person assumed the fox may have stolen one of the bird’s eggs. Others suggested the bird was plucking fur to build a nest. Either way, the fox does not seem to care.
Red Foxes and Mockingbirds
According to the Wildlife Rescue League, red foxes eat just about everything, from rodents to bugs, berries, crabs, and reptiles. This means the fox may have wandered too close to the bird’s nest.
“The red fox is highly urbanized and thrives in close contact with humans and other animals,” said the organization. “It prefers farmland, wooded lots, and forests with marshes and open fields.”
Meanwhile, mockingbirds are best known for their ability to imitate the sounds of other birds, which is how they got their name. They’re also known for being territorial, which may explain the interaction in the video.
Mockingbirds will dive-bomb everything from squirrels to cats and even people while nesting. That’s according to the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists, who explained, “I was puzzled when witnessing a particularly vicious and prolonged attack on a hapless squirrel, until I learned that they too predate on eggs and nestlings.”
So while we may never know exactly what happened between the two animals in this video, the simplest explanation is nature being nature.