scholarly journals V for Ventriloquism: Powers of Vocal Mimicry in Henry Cockton’s The Life and Adventures of Valentine Vox, the Ventriloquist

2017 ◽  
Vol 0 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Pittard
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

scholarly journals Crying wolf to a predator: deceptive vocal mimicry by a bird protecting young

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1809) ◽  
pp. 20150798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Branislav Igic ◽  
Jessica McLachlan ◽  
Inkeri Lehtinen ◽  
Robert D. Magrath
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Toxic Species ◽  
Vocal Mimicry ◽  
Primary Nest ◽  
Defence Strategy ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Defensive Mimicry ◽  
As If

Animals often mimic dangerous or toxic species to deter predators; however, mimicry of such species may not always be possible and mimicry of benign species seems unlikely to confer anti-predator benefits. We reveal a system in which a bird mimics the alarm calls of harmless species to fool a predator 40 times its size and protect its offspring against attack. Our experiments revealed that brown thornbills ( Acanthiza pusilla ) mimic a chorus of other species' aerial alarm calls, a cue of an Accipiter hawk in flight, when predators attack their nest. The absence of any flying predators in this context implies that these alarms convey deceptive information about the type of danger present. Experiments on the primary nest predators of thornbills, pied currawongs ( Strepera graculina ), revealed that the predators treat these alarms as if they themselves are threatened by flying hawks, either by scanning the sky for danger or fleeing, confirming a deceptive function. In turn, these distractions delay attack and provide thornbill nestlings with an opportunity to escape. This sophisticated defence strategy exploits the complex web of interactions among multiple species across several trophic levels, and in particular exploits a predator's ability to eavesdrop on and respond appropriately to heterospecific alarm calls. Our findings demonstrate that prey can fool predators by deceptively mimicking alarm calls of harmless species, suggesting that defensive mimicry could be more widespread because of indirect effects on predators within a web of eavesdropping.

Fooling the experts: accurate vocal mimicry in the song of the superb lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae

2012 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1401-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia H. Dalziell ◽  
Robert D. Magrath
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

Vocal Mimicry Among Birds

1937 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Chisholm
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

A case of vocal mimicry under duress in the Speckled Warbler

1967 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-299
Author(s):  
John Courtney
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

Vocal mimicry in wild African Grey Parrots Psittacus erithacus

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICK J. CRUICKSHANK ◽  
JEAN-PIERRE GAUTIER ◽  
CLAUDE CHAPPUIS
Keyword(s):  
Psittacus Erithacus ◽  
Vocal Mimicry

Vocal Mimicry in Starlings

Behaviour ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Hindmarsh
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

XXXIV.-The Problem of Vocal Mimicry.

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Chisholm
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Mimicry

scholarly journals A comparative study of the function of heterospecific vocal mimicry in European passerines

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1001-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Zsolt Garamszegi ◽  
Marcel Eens ◽  
Denitza Zaprianova Pavlova ◽  
Jesús Miguel Avilés ◽  
Anders Pape Møller
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Vocal Mimicry

The Functional Significance of Vocal Mimicry in Song

Behaviour ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 99 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Hindmarsh
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Functional Significance ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Functional Explanation ◽  
Vocal Mimicry ◽  
The One ◽  
Functional Explanations

AbstractThe results of a study of starling vocal mimicry are summarised and discussed in relation to various possible functional explanations of mimicry. Only one, a hypothesis based on sexual selection, is not rejected outright and even this was seen to have problems. A dif ferent approach yielded a causal hypothesis based on mistakes made during song learning. This causal hypothesis is consistent with all known features of starling mimicry, and can readily be extended to other species, but is probably not consistent with any of the candidate functional hypotheses, including the one based on sexual selection. It is tentatively concluded that there is no additional functional explanation of starling vocal mimicry.

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