This is Bird Note.

Northern mockingbirds, the continent's most proficient copycats,

can learn to mimic the sounds of just about any other bird within earshot.

But they mimic to show off, not to deceive. Males with the greatest repertoire are the first

to attract mates. That's the payoff. If a mockingbird imitates a cardinal song, it's unlikely

any cardinals are fooled in the process. No harm, no foul, no deceit intended.

But a tiny songbird in South America called the Thick-Billed Euphonia does employ what scientists call deceitful mimicry, a very rare trait among birds.

When frightened by a predator near its nest,

a thick-billed euphonia imitates the alarm calls of other birds nesting nearby.

This stirs them into action, and they rush in to harass the predator,

maybe chasing it off while leaving their own nests in peril.

The euphonia, meanwhile, sits tight, maybe shouting out a few more bogus alarms while while others do the dirty work.

For bird note... a few more bogus alarms, while others do the dirty work. For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.