Why do starlings mimic

Marvellous mimicry They have a lively, joyful song, which is even said to have inspired Mozart who kept a starling as a pet. Mesmerising murmurations On a winter evening, starlings can gather in incredible numbers to spend the nights together among trees, hedges, reedbeds or buildings.

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Enable analytics cookies Allow us to collect anonymised performance data. Enable marketing cookies Allow us to personalise your experience. Save settings. Read our cookie policy. Mary Payne. We have a local Blackbird who sings the lorry reversing tune not a straight series of beeps, but the tune which has a complete phrase of notes repeating as the lorries back up. When I first heard it a few weeks ago, it was a delightful surprise. There are now at least another two birds within metres or so also replying with the same song.

I note that this isn't an unusual phenomenon YouTube has a video of a Blackbird singing this song - from a completely different area than ours. It was very cute at first, but at times the incessant repeating is less than delightful! A few years ago I was walking along my suburban road in Birmingham and could hear a Magpie and the alarm sound of a Blackbird coming from a small roadside tree. As I drew closer to see what all the trouble was about it was just a Starling mimicking both birds and singing its head off.

Noble gesture gone right or wrong? Next Story. November 11, Recent News November 11, November 10, What adaptive benefit might starlings gain from copying the sounds of other birds? A leading view argues that, by mimicking, a male starling adds to its song repertoire, making him just that much more attractive to the females than the next male on the branch. So the next time you hear a Red-tail scream, double-check its author — especially if there are starlings nearby.

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