Blackbirds imitating police cars

[sassy53]

Not sure if this is the right place but we have a blackbird who has taken a fancy to our garden, we think he has returned from last year and is nesting in one of our trees, he is very vocal and sings constantly - very pleasant it is too, not the question, what I want to know is, is it normal for blackbirds to imitate other sounds as this one can imitate a police siren so accurately that our neighbours have been fooled and look out to see if there is a police car in our road,he can do two different siren noises, I know other bird have learnt to imitate noises but didn't realise that a blackbird was so proficient at this.

[thugulike]

I have a blackbird which imitates a phone ringing. Fortunately it's not the same as my phone but it's confusing nontheless. I love blackbirds, they're such fun.

[MWB]

I wonder if New Zealand blackbirds can imitate sounds? Or are they a different sort from UK ones?

I've never heard a blackbird here make any sound but the lovely singing.

[saxy_jag]

We used to have a starling around that did a very good imitation of a car alarm being switched on and off. Times I'd wait in bed of a morning waiting for my neighbour to fire up his car and go off to work - my signal for getting up - only to realise it wasn't him but this blasted starling.

I've not known very many blackbirds to imitate sounds other than 'musical' ones, though. Starlings are some of the main culprits - they're the same family as mynah birds.

[Gromit]

When I was small there was a blackbird that visited my Grandmothers garden that used to imitate her calling her dog.

[Robinia]

haha, it does happen & not surprising really with so many high pitched noises around. Starlings have often been reported as mimics but there's a blackbird around here that does a phone noise. There was one that was driving people mad last year by imitating ambulances from a nearby hospital in Somerset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsU19Ke-YhQ

:o)