The recent postings regarding interesting sounds and mimicry bring to mind
an experience I had back in May of 03.
I was recording a male Lark Bunting from the inside of my car on a back
road of in the little town of Alanreed Texas. Now this bunting was perched =
on
a strand of barbed wire with it back to me, and was about 35 feet from
the open window of my car. As I aimed my trusty Telinga at it, I heard a
series of rather loud buzzing like calls, which coincided exactly with the
bunting fanning and shaking it's tail during each of the calls. Even though
I could not see the throat or bill movements of the bunting I was convinced
that tail movements must mean that the bunting was making the sounds.
I was rather excited about this recording and hoped might turn out to
be an unknown Lark Bunting vocalization.
Well it turned out that the buzzing calls matched the sound and spectra of =
a
Grasshopper Sparrow. So two things come to mind, the bunting was just
reacting to the sound of a nearby Grasshopper Sparrow by vibrating his tail=
or maybe it was imitating a Grasshopper Sparrow.
Anyone have any comments or other ideas?
Jim
Jim Morgan
Prescott, Arizona USA
http://www.wingsofnature.com
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