After looking through my Bird Observer from 1998, I realised you were
referring to the Australian Bird Watcher. So I found the article, it is
at ABW 17(7):328-336. Yes you are correct about mimicry by a
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater.
They also had information about one Regent Honeyeater using mimicry in a
way that was not consistent with the information that I had presented.
The context was quite different though in that this was a situation of a
breeding group of Regent Honeyeaters, not a situation of a solitary
Regent Honeyeater surrounded by and associating with Wattlebirds. So it
appears that the pattern I described may not be as tight as I suggested,
in that they can also use mimicry in the way that normal birds do, but
there is still a large amount of evidence and many new cases the same as
my original observations, since my two articles.
-----Original Message-----
From: Shirley Cook
Sent: Monday, 23 August 2010 5:38 PM
To: Philip Veerman;
Subject: Birdline NSW Weekly Update comment for Matt
Hinze about mimicry by the Honeyeaters.
Dear all,
There is an article "Nesting Regent Honeyeaters Near Armidale New South
Wales" by Ley and Williams - Australian Bird Observer (Vol 17, 1998)
that
reports mimicing of a Regent Honeyeater by a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater at
a
time and place where RHEs were common and breeding.
Regards
Shirley
Shirley Cook
Secretary/Treasurer
Birds Australia - Northern NSW Group
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