While birding at Oregon’s Finley National Wildlife Refuge in his teens, Rich Hoyer heard the most amazing thing—a Purple Finch incorporating sounds of a California Scrub-Jay in its jumbled song—and thought he had discovered something new, since such behavior wasn’t mentioned in any field guide. Since then he’s been fascinated and intrigued by mimicry in birds, collecting personal observations and recordings of the phenomenon. In this audiovisual presentation, Hoyer will present examples of mimicry in songbirds from throughout the Americas and share his enthusiasm for this curious and often entertaining behavior. Hoyer currently leads tours to such exciting locations as Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Belize, and Jamaica, but also looks forward to his annual tours that explore the beauty and diversity of his home state of Oregon.
