This odd song appears to begin and end with the puck and flight calls of an American Robin (July, ME).
Here the song begins with a perfect imitation of a Hermit Thrush flight call (Aug, PA).
note the (real) American Robin flight call call to the right
Mimicry by towhees is considered to be rare but has been previously described:
Borror, D. J. 1977. Rufous-sided Towhee mimicking Carolina Wren and Field Sparrow. Wilson Bull. 89:477-480.
Greenlaw J. S., Shackelford, C. E., and Brown, R. E. 1998. Call Mimicry by Eastern Towhees and Its Significance in Relation to Auditory Learning. Wilson Bull. 110:43l-434.
I have also heard/recorded Eastern Towhees mimicking other species. The strangest was one who seemed to be mimicking a Mississippi Kite. http://www.xeno-canto.org/247525
ReplyDeleteFound your entry while Googling about towhee mimicry, inspired by a fellow birder's recording from the Berkshires (western MA):
ReplyDeletehttps://ebird.org/checklist/S67618548
I'd never have guessed that was a towhee!
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