Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 21:16:44 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: John McKitterick Subject: Translingual birds In-Reply-To: <000001c3a32c$95fe5ef0$6400a8c0@NORM> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I was out a couple of weekends ago here in Columbia, and while I was examining a orange-crowned warbler, I heard what might have been a purple finch singing. When I turned from the warbler, I discovered that the singer was no finch, but rather a song sparrow. He was perched in the top of a bush, in the typical song sparrow posture, but instead of a song sparrow tune, he was warbling like a purple finch. There was no question that the sparrow was actually producing the sound. His beak opened, his throat vibrated, his entire body shook as the purple finch song came bubbling out. What I would like to know is how common this cross-species singing is. I've heard of the famous white-throated sparrow in Central Park, who sang a black-throated green song, and there was a recent report locally of something unknown singing a black-throated green song in the winter. Are there other cases? How does such translingualism come about? John McKitterick Columbia, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================