Bowerbirds steal direct from source for mimicry

NEW research into an Australian songbird's gift for mimicry could help explain why some birds impersonate other species, scientists said yesterday.

A study of the bowerbird, known for its elaborate mating rituals, found it learns calls directly from the species being mimicked, rather than from other bowerbirds.

Scientists believe the discovery could shed light on how and why around 20 per cent of songbirds have developed the ability to copy the sounds of other creatures.

Bowerbirds can mimic the calls of other birds, as well as other animal sounds and human voices.

Laura Kelley, of Edinburgh University's school of biological sciences, travelled to Queensland, Australia, to research the subject for her PhD.

She recorded the sounds made by male spotted bowerbirds in the wild. Analysis of the calls showed that birds living near each other had a similar repertoire.

But the birds' impersonations of other species in the area showed slight variations between each bowerbird's versions of the calls, suggesting the birds copied the original species and not their bowerbird neighbours.