BirdNote; Mockingbirds Mimic Frogs

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Mockingbirds Mimic Frogs

Written by Richa Malhotra

This is BirdNote.

The avian world is full of mimicry artists. Steller’s Jays, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and European Starlings can all imitate the calls of other species of birds. But Northern Mockingbirds have taken mimicry to a whole new level. Sure, they can mimic other birds. But their repertoire includes more than just bird standards — mockingbirds can mimic frogs and toads!

[Call of the Cope’s Gray Treefrog: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/181955, 0.04-.06]

The mockingbird imitates the calls of not one or two but 12 species of amphibians found in North America. The mimicry is so good it’s hard to tell frog from bird. Here’s the call of a Cope’s Gray Tree Frog:

[https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/181955, 0.05-.11. ]

Now, compare it to the mockingbird’s attempt at copying it:

[https://www.xeno-canto.org/599233, 0.48-.51. ]

Tree frog:

[https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/181955, 0.05-.11. ]

Mockingbird:

[https://www.xeno-canto.org/599233, 0.48-.51. ]

So, how does this mimicry benefit the bird? That remains something of a mystery but scientists think that the females might find it attractive.

[Diverse song of the Northern Mockingbird; includes Boreal Chorus Frog mimicry https://www.xeno-canto.org/172494, 1.32-.39].

With such extensive knowledge of the Great American Songbird-book, mockingbirds really are the crooners – er, croakers – of the bird world.

[Song of the Northern Mockingbird: https://www.xeno-canto.org/364588, 1.18-1.28.]

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

Today’s show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.

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Senior Producer: John Kessler

Production Manager: Allison Wilson

Producer: Mark Bramhill

Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone

Many bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog recorded by H.C. Gerhardt. Northern Mockingbird mimicking Cope’s Gray Tree Frog courtesy of Xeno-Canto, recorded by Dave Gammon. Northern Mockingbird diverse song courtesy of Xeno-Canto, recorded by Eric DeFonso. Song of Northern Mockingbird courtesy of Xeno-Canto, recorded by Brian Murphy.

BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

© 2021 BirdNote March 2021 Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# sound-26-2021-03-08 sound-26

Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635719302785