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Vocal mimicry by a passerine bird attracts other species involved in mixed-species flocks

Avian vocal mimicry has sparked both a great amount of interest and an equal amount of frustration, as researchers have often been unable to demonstrate the adaptive benefits of this behavior. While it is tempting to think that mimicry of other species influences the behavior of those species to benefit the caller, this has rarely been shown. We studied mimicry in the greater-racket tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), a frequent member of mixed-species flocks in the tropical rainforest of Sri Lanka. We found that drongos mimic the songs of other species at a high rate when they are outside of flocks. We then performed a playback experiment that showed that song mimicry was attractive to other species. Drongos benefit from associating with other species by catching insects that those species disturb and/or by stealing food from them. Thus, we suggest that mimicry can be adaptive for drongos by manipulating the behavior of other species.