Mimicry by Grey Butcherbird and others (was GreyButcherbird mimicry)

["Greg & Val Clancy" <>]

Hi Margaret,

I wrote a short note on mimicry by the Olive-backed Oriole and Spangled 
Drongo for Australian Birds in 1982 - 'Some records of the Olive-backed 
Oriole and Spangled Drongo mimicking other bird's calls' (1982)  Aust. Birds 
16: 62-63.
In this note I describe hearing an Olive-backed Oriole at Iluka, north coast 
NSW, mimicking the calls of at least 13 other bird species.  They were the 
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner, Eastern Rosella 
(two duetting), Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Lewin's Honeyeater, Grey 
Shrike-thrush, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Australasian Figbird, Little 
Wattlebird, Rufous Whistler, Eastern Whipbird, and Black-faced 
Cuckoo-shrike. There were a couple of other calls that I couldn't identify, 
one of which was probably the White-eared Monarch's.  Orioles at South 
Grafton were record mimicking some of these calls as well as the Australian 
King-Parrot, Whistling Kite, Blue-faced Honeyeater, White-throated 
Honeyeater and Pied Butcherbird.
So you can see that Orioles can and do mimic a variety of birds' calls both 
large and small and predatory and non-predatory.
Regards

Greg Clancy
Ecologist
Coutts Crossing
NSW