What birds do your local mimics mimic? (1 Viewer)

[crispycreme]

Our batch of Northern Mockingbirds are adept at the following plagiarisms:

European Starling
Cactus Wren
Curve-billed Thrasher
Ash-throated Flycatcher

Those are the ones I recognize, although I'm sure the mockers are aping other calls that I haven't learned yet. Interestingly, the mockers seem to like pilfering sounds made by other accomplished mimics, like the thrasher and the starling. Thieving thieves, eh? These birds have no shame!

So, who are the frauds in your neck of the woods, and whom are they ripping off?

 

[Brian Stone]

At our last house we had a Starling that could do a pretty good frog impersonation and where we are now one does Pheasant extremely well!

 

[Jane Turner]

There is Whitethroat singing today at Red Rocks that is perfect for Tree Pipit - it throws the note in mid flourish and caught me out 8 times in a row!

 

[Gill Osborne]

I was putting out washing this morning and opening the greenhouse and could have sworn I heard a Willow Warbler nearby! A new garden tick I excitedly thought as i scanned around for it.....nope, just a blooming Starling!!! LOL
I've often heard them imitating Herring Gulls,Curlew and mobile phones but a WW is a new one! It wasn't spot-on perfect BUT for a fraction of a second it had me going!

GILL

 

[gordon hamlett]

I've heard a Quail and a Spotted Crake from my bedroom, only to find it was a Starling on the roof!

Starlings at the local supermarket have managed Waxwing impressions as well as a rather splendid, if as yet unidentified, 23rd century sonic space laser super zapper.

Gordon

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

A recent local report of a 'Lesser Spotted Woodpecker' caused much excitement. Several birders went to the site. Yep. LSW on song.

When seen, turned out to be a Chaffinch.

Clever. But annoying.

 

[crispycreme]

Starlings at the local supermarket have managed Waxwing impressions as well as a rather splendid, if as yet unidentified, 23rd century sonic space laser super zapper.

Sounds like our city grackles, who make electronic sounding chirps that I'm fairly sure were stolen from modern machine noises. If you recall what the USS Enterprise's navigation console sounded like when Sulu was doing his thing, that's what the grackles sound like around here.

 

[dacol]

So, who are the frauds in your neck of the woods, and whom are they ripping off?

The Northern Mockingbird that includes our yard in its territory mimics
at least the following birds:

Eastern Phoebe
Carolina Wren
Carolina Chickadeee
Tufted Titmouse
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Great Crested Flycatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
House Sparrow

Those are the vocalizations i was able to identify from his massive outpourings. He does a pretty good Carolina Wren and can get the real Carolina Wren that visits our yard all riled up!

There is at least one European Starling around that imitates White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee and Eastern Pewee. It also does a "wolf-whistle".

Dalcio

 

[HelenB]

Here in SE Texas, our mockingbird also does Purple Martin and Mississippi Kite. The latter have just returned from their wintering grounds in S. America a few days ago, about a week later than normal. Every time that mocker did the call I was thinking they were here.

 

[Steve-O]

Brown Thrashers just returned to my area and while for most of the summer they are quite secretive, in the spring, they like to announce their presence from the top of the tallest tree around.

Don't get me wrong, they are not the best of the Mimidea! Their truncated versions of others bird's songs, phrases repeated twice or three times, will not fool you for long. But, they are mimids, not the best, but at least they try.

The first one I heard last week would do four or five local birds and then a set of his own (possibly mimicing birds that I do not know?). Some songs were...

N Cardinal
A Goldfinch
Blue Jay
RW Blackbird
A Robin
E Phoebe
RS Hawk

..and possibly more. They don't usually sing for long in one place, and only for a short time in the spring, but they have a great voice and huge range.

Glad it's spring,

Steve

 

[samuel walker]

We have a joke among local birders in NE Ohio Blue jays have become well trained in the call of the redtailed hawk.While in the woods one birder may exclaim did you hear the redtail? "No that was a bluetailed hawk" is a common reply.
Sam

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The Starlings around town are good at Swallows and Swifts. The ones by the estuary are good at waders, as are the Skylarks.

 

[digi-birder]

I've heard Curlew above our garden - turned out to be a Starling!

 

[SimonC]

I've known Starlings to imitate all sorts of weird & wonderful things, including guinea pigs, forklift trucks, reversing warnings of lorries etc.........but the most impressive has to be the bird that managed to recreate the sound of hundreds of children screaming/shouting in the local school playground!!!

Sedge warblers are a bit of a pain at the moment too..........especially the one that had me & rogerk looking for a phantom Cetti's Warbler at the weekend. :C

 

[edenwatcher]

The Starlings around town are good at Swallows and Swifts. The ones by the estuary are good at waders, as are the Skylarks.

Not just by the estuary. Heard a starling in Kinburn Park at lunchtime doing an excellent Curlew.

Rob

 

[Binocularface]

There is a Songthrush on my local patch that does an excellent Greenshank- gets me every time!

 

[crispycreme]

The two Mockingbirds near my work just up and started parroting Say's Phoebes. *rolls eyes*

 

[crispycreme]

Don't get me wrong, they are not the best of the Mimidea! Their truncated versions of others bird's songs, phrases repeated twice or three times, will not fool you for long. But, they are mimids, not the best, but at least they try.

I'm glad someone demonstrated the skills of a non-mocker mimid. Our local thrashers (Curve-billed and Bendire's) don't seem all that interested in mimicing, at least not yet. I'd be curious to hear from someone who's nabbed a catbird for thievery as well.

 

[pduxon]

I reckon there is a Great Tit whose one aim in life is to follow me around and make strange noises

 

[Birdbrain]

We have a Black Bird that sits in our tree that is better at wolf whistleing than me, also have a Starling that sounds like a motor bike.