The Hidden Impersonators: Local Birds That Copy Calls and Songs

When most people think of birds that mimic sounds, their minds jump straight to parrots. It’s no surprise that parrots are famous for imitating human speech and other noises. But what many backyard birdwatchers don’t realize is that some of the best vocal impressionists in the bird world are found right here in our own backyards. From quiet suburban feeders to wooded stream valleys, several common songbirds in Western Pennsylvania are constantly borrowing and reshaping the sounds around them.

These mimic birds don’t copy songs and calls just for fun, there’s real purpose behind the deception. Some species use mimicry to defend their territory, projecting the illusion of many birds instead of one. Others do it to attract mates, showing off their vocal skill and intelligence. Certain birds even use mimicry to confuse predators or as a tool for social communication within their flock. The result is a rich and surprising soundscape where familiar calls may not be what they seem.

In this week’s WildWatch Weekly, we’ll take a closer look at five birds you may have heard mimicking without ever realizing it: the Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Blue Jay, and European Starling. Each one has its own unique approach to imitation, from copying hawk screams to weaving together hundreds of different songs. As you read, listen closely the next time you tune into a PixCams live stream, you might just catch one of nature’s greatest impersonators in action.

Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mockingbird is perhaps the most iconic vocal mimic in North America, and for good reason, its ability to imitate other sounds is nothing short of extraordinary. While many birds can borrow snippets of other songs, the mockingbird takes mimicry to an entirely different level. A single individual may learn and repeat the calls of hundreds of different bird species, along with frogs, insects, and even mechanical noises like car alarms and cell phone ringtones. If you ever hear a bird delivering a rapid-fire medley of distinct calls, one after another, there’s a good chance a mockingbird is behind the performance.

One of the easiest ways to identify a mockingbird by ear is to listen for repetition. Unlike the Brown Thrasher, which sings each phrase twice, the Northern Mockingbird repeats every borrowed sound three to five times before switching to a new line in its musical repertoire. This gives its song a patterned rhythm, three chirps like a chickadee, followed by three squawks like a jay, then three whistles like a cardinal. The variety can be astonishing, and it often feels as if you’re listening to an entire chorus of birds coming from a single treetop.

Mockingbirds are also relentless singers. During breeding season, males may vocalize almost nonstop from dawn to dusk—and sometimes even throughout the night. Night singing is often a behavior of unmated males advertising for a partner, and their persistence can last for weeks. Research shows that females may choose mates based partly on song complexity, so every new phrase a male learns may give him a competitive advantage. At the same time, this constant stream of sound acts as a territorial warning, letting rivals know the area is well defended by a strong and confident resident.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of this bird’s talent is its scope. One particularly well-studied mockingbird was recorded with a repertoire of more than 400 distinct songs, making it one of the most versatile vocal performers in the animal kingdom. So the next time you hear an unexpected medley of bird calls coming from a single perch on a sunny spring morning, don’t be fooled—there’s a good chance you’re listening to one highly skilled mockingbird showing off its entire playlist.

Gray Catbird

The Gray Catbird is a fascinating mimic whose signature “meow” call earned it its charming name. While that feline-like sound is the one most people recognize, these birds are actually skilled vocal imitators, capable of borrowing the songs and calls of other birds in their vicinity. Unlike the Northern Mockingbird, whose imitations are clear and repeated multiple times, the catbird’s mimicry is often rougher, more nasal, and delivered in short fragments, giving it a slightly scratchy, mysterious quality.

Gray Catbirds are particularly clever at incorporating the sounds of other animals into their repertoire. They frequently mimic tree frogs, adding a watery croak to their songs, or even the calls of neighboring birds, blending them seamlessly into their own medley. Their style is less about long, patterned repetition and more about mixing surprising bursts of sound, which can make them easy to overlook if you’re not paying close attention. That unpredictability is part of what makes their songs so intriguing to birdwatchers and listeners alike.

One of the reasons Gray Catbirds are such impressive vocalists lies in their unique anatomy. They possess a two-part voice box, or syrinx, which allows them to produce two different sounds simultaneously. This gives them the ability to layer notes and create harmonies that would be impossible for many other songbirds. So the next time you hear a cat-like “meow” punctuated by unexpected whistles or croaks while tuning in to a PixCams live stream, you may be witnessing a Gray Catbird quietly demonstrating its secret talent as one of nature’s most versatile mimics.

Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher is a remarkable songbird and a close relative of the Northern Mockingbird, sharing its talent for vocal mimicry but with a style all its own. While mockingbirds repeat phrases three to five times, the thrasher repeats each borrowed phrase exactly twice, creating a distinctive rhythm that makes its songs surprisingly easy to identify once you know what to listen for. Its voice is loud, clear, and confident, often carrying across fields, yards, and forest edges, letting everyone in the vicinity know it has claimed its territory.

Perhaps the most astounding feature of the Brown Thrasher is its sheer song vocabulary. Some individuals are capable of mimicking over 1,000 distinct song phrases, making it one of the most versatile vocal performers in North America. From short warbles to whistles, trills, and bursts of borrowed bird calls, a thrasher’s song can sound like an entire orchestra of birds from a single perch. This extraordinary range allows the thrasher to stand out during the breeding season, both to attract mates and to assert dominance over its territory.

Brown Thrashers often choose high, exposed perches such as fence posts, treetops, or telephone wires to broadcast their impressive repertoire. From these vantage points, their clear and resonant mimicry can carry for long distances, signaling to both rivals and potential mates that a skilled vocalist is present. Fun fact: because of its incredible variety of songs, the Brown Thrasher is believed to have the largest song vocabulary of any U.S. songbird, earning it a special place among North America’s most accomplished avian singers.

Blue Jay

The Blue Jay is one of the most recognizable and intelligent birds in our backyards, not just for its striking blue plumage but also for its surprising talent as a mimic. Perhaps its most famous trick is its ability to imitate the calls of hawks, particularly Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks. These imitations are so convincing that even experienced birders can be fooled, giving the Blue Jay a clever advantage when it comes to protecting food sources. By mimicking a predator, the jay can scare other birds away from feeders or prime foraging areas, ensuring it gets first pick of the bounty.

While hawk calls are its signature mimicry, Blue Jays are not limited to the avian world. They occasionally incorporate human-made sounds into their repertoire, from whistles to mechanical noises, showing off the versatility that makes them such fascinating observers and imitators of their environment. Unlike some other mimics, a Blue Jay’s vocalizations are often interspersed with its natural, loud, and raucous calls, creating a mix of sounds that can range from startling to surprisingly musical.

Interestingly, mimicry seems to be more common in young jays than in adults. Juvenile birds often practice and experiment with new sounds as part of their learning process, gradually refining their abilities over time. As members of the crow family, Blue Jays are highly intelligent, capable of problem-solving, social interactions, and even using tools in captivity. Their mimicry skills, combined with their bold and clever personalities, make them one of the most captivating species to watch and listen to.

European Starling

The European Starling is an introduced species that has become one of the most common and widespread birds in North America, thriving in cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike. Despite its sometimes controversial reputation, especially among farmers and conservationists, its vocal abilities are truly remarkable. Starlings are skilled mimics, capable of imitating the songs of other birds, whistles, and even human-made sounds like cell phone rings or mechanical noises. Their creativity and adaptability make them standout performers in any bird chorus.

What makes starlings especially interesting is how they incorporate mimicry into their normal warbling songs. Rather than simply repeating what they hear, they blend these borrowed sounds into a complex, often melodious sequence that can last for minutes. Male starlings build what researchers call “song libraries”, gradually accumulating new phrases over time through observation and imitation. This growing repertoire is thought to help attract mates and demonstrate fitness, as females may prefer males with larger and more diverse song libraries.

In captivity, European Starlings have been shown to learn human speech almost as well as some parrots, further highlighting their remarkable vocal flexibility. Whether you hear a starling warbling from a streetlight or perched near a backyard feeder, there’s a good chance you’re listening to a bird that can mimic nearly anything it encounters. Their impressive versatility serves as a reminder that mimicry in birds isn’t limited to exotic parrots, it’s alive and thriving right in our neighborhoods.

Listen Closely: Nature’s Secret Sound Artists

From the Northern Mockingbird’s astonishing 400-plus-song repertoire to the European Starling’s ability to mimic everything from whistles to cell phone rings, the birds of Western Pennsylvania are full of surprises. The Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, and Blue Jay each bring their own unique style to the art of imitation, turning our forests, fields, and backyards into a vibrant, ever-changing symphony of sound. These birds aren’t just copying for fun, they’re communicating, defending territory, attracting mates, and sometimes even keeping clever predators at bay.

The next time you step outside, take a moment to listen closely. That familiar call may not be what it seems. A “meow” in the thicket could be a Gray Catbird, a shrill hawk scream at the feeder might be a clever Blue Jay, and a rapid-fire medley of whistles, trills, and croaks could be a Northern Mockingbird showing off its talent. By paying attention, you can start to identify the subtle differences in repetition, tone, and pattern that reveal these birds as the masters of mimicry they truly are.

And of course, for those who want a front-row seat without leaving the comfort of home, PixCams live streams let you experience these secret sound artists in real time. Watch, listen, and be amazed at the hidden symphony unfolding above your backyard or in local woodlands, because nature’s most impressive performers are often the ones we least expect.