Home | Trip Reports | Recent Sightings | Blog | Photographs | Phonescoping | Sounds & Sonograms | Local Patches | Butterflies & Dragonflies


 

 Whinchat  Saxicola rubetra


  

Mimicry in the Whinchat

The following sonograms are from a single male Whinchat mimicking at least 15 avian species (plus lamb & frog!) in a 10 minute period.

 

 Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating thrush mimicry; single verse consisting of Mistle Thrush alarm rattle followed by three phrases of Blackbird song.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating finch mimicry; a single verse consisting of rearranged Chaffinch song (trill-flourish-trill).

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating bunting mimicry; a single verse consisting of a very close representation of Corn Bunting song.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating multi-species mimicry in a single delivery; two rasps of Corncrake advertising song followed by territorial vocalisation of a displaying lapwing, and almost certainly a frog vocal.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating wader mimicry; a single verse consisting of two unrecogisable phrases and the start of Curlew terriorial vocalisation.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating hirundine mimicry; a single verse consisting of the dry chirps of a House Martin followed by possible Acrocephalus vocalisations.

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating mammal mimicry; a single verse consisting of a representation of a distant lamb, followed by an unknown phrase.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating thrush mimicry; a single verse consisting of probable Thrush Nightingale phrases.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating wader mimicry; a single verse consisting of the piping flight call of Oystercatcher.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating bunting mimicry; a single verse consisting of Reed Bunting song, followed by an unknown phrase.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating thrush mimicry of two vocalisation types from the same species; a single verse consisting of Robin call followed by song phrases.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating hirundine mimicry; a single verse consisting of the fast, dry flight twitter of Barn Swallow.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating warbler mimicry; a single verse consisting of the first few phrases of Willow Warbler song.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating Wren mimicry; a single verse consisting of various phrases of Wren song.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat song

Glen Brerachan, Perthshire, Scotland  56° 45' 18.9'' N  03° 35' 20.9'' W  17 June 2009, 0540h

Singing male incorporating Wren mimicry; a single verse consisting of almost 3 seconds of various phrases of Wren song.

 

 

 

 

Sonogram of Whinchat call

Pogorzelce, Bialowieza Forest, Poland  52º 43' 25.0'' N  23º 48' 38.0'' E   27 June 2009, 1848h

Repeated calls consisting of a 'huu' note between 2-3 kHz, often followed by a harder single or double 'chat' note.

 

 

 


A-Z Index  | Search this Website | Links | Ayrshire Bird Report | Ayrshire Winter Bird Race | Scarlet Banded-Barbet | Blog Index


 


  © Fraser Simpson  ·  www.fssbirding.org.uk