Presentation Details
| Evolution of vocal mimicry within Mimidae David E Gammon. Elon University, Elon, NC, USA |
Abstract
Hundreds of songbird species imitate the sounds of other species, yet systematic comparisons between mimicking species are rare. I intensively sampled the singing of three closely-related mimetic species: the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Lineages for these three species each evolved mimicry independently, yet all belong to the family Mimidae, all are morphologically and behaviorally similar, and all share the same study site and therefore hear the same heterospecific models. Song recordings from 12 individuals of each species showed that mockingbirds mimic five times as frequently as the other two species, but the diversity of heterospecific models was similar between species (after correcting for unequal sample sizes of mimetic songs). These background data will provide a basis for future evolutionary studies.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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