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Articles

Vol. 13 No. 1-4 (1982)

VOCAL COPYING IN LAWRENCE’S AND LESSER GOLDFINCHES

Submitted
September 9, 2025
Published
January 1, 1982

Abstract

With perhaps the exception of the Northern Mockingbird, no bird in the western United States copies the vocalizations of such a wide variety of bird species with such proficiency as the Lawrence’s Goldfinch. Although this vocal “mimicry” was long ago described by Dawson (1923), subsequent workers have apparently failed to notice this striking feature of Lawrence’s Goldfinch vocalizations. Linsdale (1968) cited numerous references concerning descriptions of the song, none of which mentioned imitation. Coutlee (1971) studied in detail the vocalizations of this species, yet did not realize that the elaborate song is composed primarily of notes copied from other birds’ vocalizations. Concerning the vocalizations of this species, Lesser Goldfinch, and American Goldfinch, Coutlee (1971:561) stated “these…are probably among the longest and most varied of passerine songs (excluding, of course, birds which mimic other songs).” Lawrence’s Goldfinch was not included in Dobkin’s (1979) extensive list of birds known to copy other species.

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