Re: Heathland Avian Mimic

["Vicki Parslow Stafford" <>]

I don't know what the "heathland sprite" may be, but I have heard an
absolutely amazing virtuoso demonstration of mimicry from a Mistletoebird. 
I identified the calls of around 15 species in one performance.

Vicki PS

----------
> From: Syd Curtis <>
> 
> So someone on birding-aus please help:
> 
> At the end of his Foreword to Ray Littlejohns' book "The Magic Voice"
> (1933), Alec Chisholm points out that Lyrebirds are not Australia's only
> mimics and he writes -
> 
>         "But Australia contains at least twenty other diverse species of
> birds which are highly skilled at vocal imitations, and one in
particular,
> a heathland sprite rather smaller than a sparrow, is relatively no less
> accomplished than the lyrebird."
> 
> So what is Chisholm's "heathland sprite" that mimics so well?