A few years back, we were awakened in the middle of a summer night by the noisiest bird. I mean most birds of breeding do their chirping in the morning, right? Not only was this one noisily singing at night but its calls kept changing. It was doing a routine, an impression of many birdcalls. The nerve! Stupid bird can't invent its own song? Has to rip-off other bird's songs? Has to do it in the middle of the night.

I got up to investigate, to defend my turf. In my PJs, I went to the front yard where it was loudest. I was about to shoo it away but decided to experiment. I whistled. I whistled original whistlings. The bird whistled back in exactly the same way. I was incensed but fascinated. I found out later that this is what mockingbirds do.

My question is---"why"? What is the survival strategy in singing another bird's call? Isn't the purpose of bird calls to attract mates? Why does a mockingbird do a cardinal's call when it doesn't really want a piece of cardinal tail? There is a survival strategy here but I can't figure it.

Here is a brief description of the mockingbird.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), June 12, 2001

Answers

Carly and James

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), June 12, 2001.

"What's the deal with mockingbirds"?

I've always thought the deal was that if they won't sing, then you have to cough up a bunch of cash for a diamond ring. : )

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), June 12, 2001.

Lars -

The females are attracted by the size of the male's repertoire.

-- flora (***@__._), June 12, 2001.

Yes, Lars, you are absolutely correct. The most annoying bird in the world. I am no longer fascinated; If I had a gun I would shoot the bums.

I went through a period of bad insomnia years ago when I first discovered this deviant bird; just as I would be falling asleep it would start it's insane chatterings. Finally, I took to throwing rocks at it and I know I must have connected because it never came back that summer.

Survival of the fittest indeed.

-- Enlightenment (gone@away.now), June 12, 2001.

Not to mention the fact that they are mean as hell and will take on another bird 3 times it's size in a heartbeat!

Seen one's around here chasing crows at least 3x their size!

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), June 12, 2001.

Flora, LOL.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), June 12, 2001.

I thought it was to deceive other birds so they can mate with them and/or raid their nests.

Also, there's a study out now that says some birds have been imitating cell phones ringing.

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), June 12, 2001.

I received a cell phone call the other day. As I answered it, a mockingbird jumped its bones, beeping and humping like crazy.

-- (nemesis@awol.com), June 12, 2001.

They are post-modern birds, appropriating and sampling.

We used to let a friend's kids play in our back yard with one of those old Mr. Machine plastic robots, which warbles a distinctive tune. The mockingbird picked it up, and would sing it back. Neighbour's cat eventually got it. I think they are cool.

-- Firemouse (tweet@tweet.tweet), June 12, 2001.

But again, why do they do this? I can think of no strategic advantage that the mimicry gives to mockingbirds. Yet, there must be a Darwinian basis for their behavior.

BTW - Those brilliantly colored, hovering lil hummingbirds---nasty creatures. Very competitive because they need huge caloric intake to maintain their high-energy metabolisms.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), June 12, 2001.

LINK

You're on the track of the mockingbird, someplace out in Texas. You've tracked one to this general vicinity, but it's nowhere to be seen. You look around you, at the forest, at the trees. Nothing moves. A sparrow calls to you from a tree, but you ignore it. It's mockingbirds you're hunting, not sparrows! After a long time, you give up, disgusted, and go home.

The sparrow hops out from under the cover of a leaf... It's the mockingbird you've been searching for! Fortunately, you didn't kill this rare and wonderful bird. But why was it able to elude you? The reason is because of its wonderful ability to mock other birds- that which gives it its name. The northern mockingbird can mimic the calls of at least 30 other birds. There was one bird that was creditted with 51 different species mocked! It can also mock animals such as crickets, chickens, and frogs, and man-made sounds such as drills and saws. The mockingbird is so good at mocking other birds that the Red- winger blackbird cannot distinguish between its own song and that of a mockingbird!

Why did the mockingbird evolve this fascinating ability? Can you guess? The reason is sitting in front of your face. Go back to the top of this page and read the paragraph about the hunter. If the mockingbird could fool a human hunter, it could fool an animal hunter too! This is called a survival adaptation- the mockingbird can make other animals think a different bird is there instead of it! Can you think of any useful applications of this natural tool? What would happen if the mockingbird mimicked the call of a poisonous bird?

-- (here@you.go), June 12, 2001.

State Bird of Texas

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), June 12, 2001.

"here you go"--

Interesting theory. Sounds good to me---the mockingbird is an aural chameleon.

Hey, I just thought of another possible reason for such mockery mockery. Let's say that mockingbirds enjoy dining on insect species X. So, to deceive X, it mimics other birds that are well known in the insect community for their disinterest in X. X is caught off guard. All this assumes that insects can hear.

There must be a subtle harmonic in the mockingbird's choiping (Brooklyn spelling) that allows other mockingbirds to discern a mockingbird from a red-wing blackbird otherwise how can mockingbirds meet to mate?

-- Lars (larsguy@yaoo.com), June 12, 2001.

I've enjoyed the mockingbirds I've encountered, including the one who camped out in the tree next to my bedroom for an entire summer. To live in a Big City and still have Nature's creatures nearby is somewhat reassuring to me. The continuous trill of its singing was like a mantric lullaby and I always fell asleep with a smile on my face, believe it or not!

-- 1 (2@3.com), June 12, 2001.

I find the songs of the mockingbird quite entertaining. Reminds me of a car alarm.

-- (@ .), June 12, 2001.

Mockingbirds are great,thick as lice here in Texas..I always wanted a Myna bird as a child..sold for 19.95 at petstores in the 50's- 60's..never could save enough money though..just as well..birds are meant to fly..not to be observed in a cage IMHO...

-- meat be meat (everyone enjoys@songbird.don't they), June 12, 2001.

If birds were meant to fly, god would have given propellers.

-- (nemesis@awol.com), June 12, 2001.

A friend of mine [years ago in Illinois] had a parakeet whose cage was placed near a window. I had two parakeets at the time, and I commented on how that bird didn't sound like a parakeet. My friend said, "I know. He sits so close to the window that he picks up the street talk from the birds outside."

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), June 12, 2001.