This is bird note.

The avian world is full of mimicry artists.

Stellars Jays, blue-gray gnat-catchers, and European starlings can all imitate the calls of other species of birds. But northern mocking

birds have taken mimicry to a whole new level. Sure, they can mimic other birds, but

their repertoire includes more than just bird standards.

Mocking birds can mimic frogs and toads.

The mockingbird imitates the calls of not one or two but 12 species of amphibians found in North America

The mimicry is so good. It's hard to tell frog from bird. Here's the call of a copse gray tree frog.

Now compare it to the mocking bird's attempts at copying it.

Tree frog. at copying it. It.

Tree frog?

Mockingbird.

So how does this mimicry benefit the bird.

That remains something of a mystery, but scientists think that the females might find it attractive.

With such extensive knowledge of the great American songbird book,

mockingbirds really are the crooners, or croakers, of the bird world.

For Birdnout I'm Michael Stein. I'm Michael Stein.