Hey birders: click on the following link, press the play button, and have a listen.
https://www.xeno-canto.org/403847
Great Crested Flycatcher, right? Wrong. It’s a pitch-perfect imitation of four Great Crested “wheep!” calls in a row … by a White-eyed Vireo. Over the years there have been several surprisingly early reports of Great Cresteds that were heard but not seen. I wonder how many of them were White-eyed Vireos – which also regularly mimic Summer Tanagers, Eastern Towhees, and several other species. Thanks to Frank Goodwin for sharing this (unedited) recording, made along the main drive at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park on February 25th.
Photo of White-eyed Vireo by Christopher Janus, taken along the La Chua Trail on February 17, 2018. Used with permission.
