To become a mockingbird

[psweet]

I think we need a broader look at mimicry first. It’s not just something found in Mimids. I’ve heard gnatcatchers doing a bit of mimicry, for example. One of the best examples is the family Menuridae, the Lyrebirds. They’re basal to the rest of the oscines. (I’m not sure if they’re actually considered oscines, but apparently they do branch off after the suboscines.) There’s also the issue that most oscines show at least some vocal learning, which is why we get micro-geographic variation in some resident birds. (Check out White-crowned Sparrows in California…) Vocal learning has also been demonstrated in one suboscine (the Three-wattled Bellbird), and since most of the suboscines live in South America, they’re likely to be less well-studied than temperate oscines. And of course, vocal learning isn’t limited to passerines – parrots, for instance, are famous for mimicry. I believe hummingbirds have been shown to have the capacity, as well, but that could just be my faulty memory.