Scientific name:
Hippolaris

Natural spread:
Asia, Eastern Europe

many bird-types besides its characteristic chant can recite also the tone-remarks of other bird-types or even foreign sounds as imitation. This ability is called "Spotten." Became Z familiar. B. the pond-tube-singer (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), who can include the chants of 39 bird-types at least in its repertoire. The mockers (type Hippolais) suit the tube-singers very draws near, they were named directly after this behavior. Earlier, they were called also bastard-nightingales.

The biological meaning of the "sneers" still is unsolved. In particular one tried to find out which advantages the imitation of the chants brings; because often, no competition for the corresponding types (Z) exists. B. Mockers and swallows. It certainly is that the partner of the own type is placed in front of big problems by the many variations. it is dependent on it, the characteristic chant nevertheless out-listens. This ability requires a special adaptation.

Shape The mockers also are external very similar the tube-singers, however, tail and the wider bill differ in an exactly cut-off or only weakly rounded one. If the birds are emotional, they can resist its vertex-feathers.

Types At the spread-area of the yellow-mocker closes in the west eastward - and central-Asian area the spread-area of the bush-mocker (Hippolais caligata) at; both types occur in Eastern Europe side by side. The bush-mocker is among the smallest mocker-types with 11,5 cm of length and populates moist thickets, forest-edges or fields preferably. The Orpheusspötter (H). polyglotta; 13 cm of length, the southwestern representative of the yellow-mocker is and probably developed only through the geographical isolation in the last ice age as own type. The biggest mocker, the olive-mocker (H). olivetorum; 15 cm of length, broods only in a narrowly restricted area in the eastern Mediterranean-area, spends the winter, however, like the others in Europe of brooding types, in the tropical and southern Africa. Preferably, the Blaßspötter (H) lives in North-Africa and in the southwestern Asia. pallida; 13,5 cm of length, Z. T. as stand-bird; most populations - also the South European one - move much farther southern outside the incubation.

Way of life The mockers are tree-inhabitants and are mainly in the top-region. Many became distinct Kulturfolger so that they lead also the name "Garden-singer" rightly.

All types like to put its nests into bushes or sterns, but also in the branch-forks of the foliage-trees. To the brood-habits sees yellow-mockers.