Starlings Mimicking (1 Viewer)

[Plentiful]

Do Starlings mimic other birds’ calls? Seem to remember learning they did.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Starlings are excellent mimics, I've heard them 'do' robin, blackbird, phones, car alarms all sorts of things.

 

[davercox]

They certainly do.
I recall, on Fair Isle once, a birder saying he'd heard Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, Redshank and Dunlin that morning.
They were all [Shetland] Starlings.

 

[Seatallen]

I remember when trim-phones became all the rage (early-mid 70's) our next door neighbour purchased one, and several of the local starlings soon had the ring-tone off to a tee. Neighbour was forever rushing to the phone only to discover there was no-one there.

 

[Plentiful]

Thanks. They must have good hearing then.

 

[AKE]

There was a time when Starlings were particularly noted for mimicking car alarms in the UK, its been 20-odd years ago now I guess!

I read somewhere at the time that it was a mechanism of defence and that they are likely to do this when trying to emulate something larger than themselves