Date: 7/15/25 8:38 am From: Glenn <000001214b3fcb01-dmarc-request...> Subject: Mockingbird behavior
A couple mornings ago, my wife and I were sitting on our front porch reading the bible. We were also listening to a mockingbird singing at the top of our neighbor's Bradford Pear tree. From our left a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flew into the picture. As it got close to the mockingbird, the mockingbird changed his song and starting doing a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher call, something he had not done earlier. Once the flycatcher flew off the mockingbird changed back to what he was doing and never repeated the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher call again, at least for the 10 minutes or so we stayed out there before heading back inside. Now I am wondering, did the mockingbird see the flycatcher and so started mocking it? Or was it a coincidence? Has anybody ever seen a mockingbird deliberately start using another bird's call when that type of bird flew into the area? I've never noticed that before.
-Glenn Wyatt
