Mimicry Among Derbyshire Redstarts

This month (Nov 2026) British Wildlife publish my paper on mimicry among Derbyshire common redstarts. This recording is from Monyash on 10 May 2025 and is featured in the piece. I reproduce the full recording below and attach the notes that enable the listener to follow the mimicry of at least 34 species performed by a single male. The sequence of mimicry in just under 5.5 minutes and is listed below. (Note that the British Wildlife article carries no mention of the mimicry of White-throated Bee-eater by a Derbyshire bird. This was confirmed after the piece was processed for publication. I am deeply endebted to Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire and Martin Kelsey for recognition of this species, especially to the former. This is almost certainly the first recording of mimicry of this African species in Derbyshire.

1 Greenshank, 2 Coal Tit, 3 House Martin, 4 Common Treecreeper, 5 Sedge Warbler, 6 Pied Wagtail,7 Swift, 8 Goldfinch, 9 Curlew, 10 Crested Tit, 11 Little Ringed Plover, 12 Common Whitethroat song,13 Common Crossbill, 14 Nuthatch, 15 Crested Lark, 16 Common Starling, 17 Northern Bullfinch, 18 Blue Tit, 19 Pied Avocet, 20 Black-headed Gull, 21 Red-legged Partridge, 22 Lesser Redpoll, 23 Linnet, 24 Lesser Whitethroat, 25 House Sparrow, 26 Meadow Pipit, 27 Long-tailed Tit, 28 Common Quail, 29 Grey Wagtail, 30 White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis, 31 Green Woodpecker, 32 Greenfinch, 33 Blackbird, 34, Sardinian Warbler.

Here is a transcript of the tape with individual units of song identified by their timed appearance on the recording.

0-01 – -unknown

0-09 – intro 2. White-throated Bee-eater, 3. Greenshank x 2

0-17 – intro, 2. ??, 3. ??, 4. Coal Tit x 2

0-21 intro 2. House Martin

0-28 intro, 2. Common Treecreeper song

0-28 x3 ?? 2 x Coal Tit

0-36 2 bunting ‘tic’ 3 Sedge Warbler

0-42 intro 2. Pied Wagtail x3

0-47 intro 2. Swift, 3. ??

0-53 intro, 2. Spotted Flycatcher??

1-01 – Intro, 2 gluk gluk ??, 3. Goldfinch

1-08 intro, 1. Curlew, 2. Crested tit, 3 Little Ringed Plover

1-16 intro, 2. Common Whitethroat song

1-22 intro, 2. Crossbill x 3, 2. Starling??

1-29 intro, 2. nil

1-33 intro 2. ?? 3. ??

1-39 intro, 2. ??, 3. Nuthatch

1-47 intro, 2. Reed Bunting?

1-54, intro, 2. Crested Lark, 3. Starling

2-00 intro, ??

2-04, intro Bullfinch x 3

2-12, intro 2. ??

2-17, intro, 2. Blue Tit, 3. Avocet

2-21, intro 2. ??

2-27, intro, 2. Goldfinch

2-32, intro 2. House Martin x 2

2-38 intro, 2. ??, 3. Black-headed Gull

2-46, intro, 2. Red-legged Partridge, 3. Wren?

2-52, intro, 2. Pied Wagtail?

2-54, intro ??

3-04 intro, 2. Crested Lark, 3. Goldfinch?

3-20, intro, 2. Reed Bunting?, 3. Red-legged Partridge

3-27, intro, 2. Redpoll

3-34, intro, 2. Curlew?, 3. Coal Tit?

3-40, intro, 2. Swift sp., 3?

3-49, intro, 2. Curlew.

3-56, intro, 2. Linnet

4-00, intro ??

4-08, intro Lesser Whitethroat song, 2. Nuthatch, 3. Meadow Pipit?

4-13, intro, x 2

4-20, intro, 2. House Sparrow x 2

4-26, intro, 2. Meadow Pipit, 3. ??, 4. Long-tailed Tit

4-31, intro, 2. Pied Wagtail x 2

4-37, intro, Crossbill x 3

4-42, intro, 2. ?, 3. Common Quail

4-49, intro, Coal Tit x 2

4-56, intro, 2. ??, 3. Grey Wagtail, 4. Blue Tit

5-04, intro, White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis

5-09, intro, Red-legged Partridge x 3

5-16, 1. Sedge Warbler, 2. ??, 3. Meadow Pipit (call), 4. House Sparrow, 5. Meadow Pipit (call), 6. Green Woodpecker, 7. Meadow Pipit, 8. Greenfinch, 9. Blackbird, 10. Common Swift, 11 Blackbird.

5-25. Sardinian Warbler