Vocal mimicry in songbirds
Vocal mimicry in songbirds is such a fascinating topic. In this webinar we will discover the many theories why some birds mimic other species and environmental sounds and the evolutionary origins of vocal mimicry. Our guest speaker will be Rick Nuttall, an experienced ornithologist and nature guide. He will explain to us why brood parasite chicks mimic the calls of the host’s chicks and how a young songbird learns its own song and also songs of other birds in the area. He will also chat about tracing the migration paths of migrating birds like the Marsh Warbler by analyzing the birds they mimic in their journey across the world. Rick will also teach us about the cultural transmission of mimicked sounds of the Sabota Lark. Don’t miss this webinar!
Organizer
Rick Nuttall has been sharing his knowledge and passion for birds with like-minded people from a young age. His MSc degree involved behaviour studies of waxbills and their close relatives (Estrildid finches). Rick joined the National Museum, Bloemfontein as Ornithologist in 1991, undertaking research for ten years before his appointment as Director, a position held until November 2017. Rick has authored scientific, semi-scientific and popular ornithological publications, and contributes regularly to national bird monitoring and citizen science projects. He has led small group birding trips in South Africa and Lesotho on occasion since 1993, and has travelled widely in Southern Africa; he now leads general nature and birding tours full time.
An avid amateur photographer and sound recordist, Rick is fascinated by the natural sound environment, and always has his recording equipment at hand when he is out and about. He has been recording birds and their sounds since the early 1980s, and has a particular interest in vocal imitation or mimicry, an aspect of avian behaviour prevalent in a surprising number of bird species. Rick will join fellow sound recordist and birding enthusiast Lynette Rudman on 2 December 2021 in presenting a Learn The Birds webinar on the fascinating topic of avian vocal mimicry.
Lynette was a foundation phase and preschool teacher for 16 years. She currently writes, designs and creates fabric tactile books for blind preschool readers. Her book, Spider’s Web, won an international tactile book competition in 2009. She is passionate about education and teaching novice birders interesting facts about birds, interesting bird behaviour and bird vocalisations. She is an advocate for ethical birding practices and is not afraid to voice her opinion on this matter. In 2018 she received a merit award from the Grahamstown Rotary Club for her contribution to advancing birding in the Grahamstown area as well as the Eastern Cape Province.
Having grown up on a farm and being close to nature all her life, she loves to share her passion for the natural world with others on the two Facebook groups that she created, Eastern Cape Birding and Southern African Bird Calls, and on her Youtube channel. Lynette is a keen photographer of wildlife, including birds, as well as macro photographing of insects and spiders.