Ignorance is bliss!
Male spotted bowerbirds, were originally thought to mimic the sounds of predatory birds as a defense mechanism, but recent research suggests that are actually learning sounds heard while under stress.
The new study found that although the birds mimicked calls from predatory birds, they accounted for only about 20 percent of their vocalizations. The rest were imitation of the calls of aggressive “bully” species, or less aggressive birds in distress. The bowerbirds mimicked alarm calls, predator calls, and mobbing calls, the cries birds make when ganging up on a predator.
The researchers speculate that when bowerbirds are distressed their learning capacity increases, and therefore pick up vocalizations they hear while under distress, either from attackers, bullies, or freaked out neighbors.
image: Wikipedia
