Song mimicry and species associations of west African indigobirds Vidua with Quail‐finch Ortygospiza atricollis , Goldbreast Amandava subflava and Brown Twinspot Clytospiza monteiri

The brood‐parasitic indigobirds Vidua spp. mimic the songs of their foster species, which for many species of indigobirds are Lagonosticta firefinches. We report additional associations of indigobirds with estrildid finches in west Africa. Quail‐finch Indigobirds Vidua nigeriae in northern Cameroon mimic the songs of Quail‐finch Ortygospiza atricollis . Gold‐breast Indigobirds Vidua raricola in Cameroon and Sierra Leone mimic the songs of Gold‐breast Amandava subflava . Both indigobirds are distinct in male breeding plumage from other indigobirds. Also, a population of blue indigobirds Vidua sp. in Cameroon mimics the songs of Brown Twinspot Clytospiza monteiri . They are similar in colour and size to blue indigobirds associated with Dark Firefinch L. rubricata and Black‐bellied Firefinch L. rara . Mouth patterns of fledged young Quail‐finch Indigobirds and Goldbreast Indigobirds resemble those of their song‐model and presumed foster species, but the mouth pattern of a fledged young associated with the Brown Twinspot mimic was not distinct from the mouth of young Black‐bellied Firefinch. The field observations show associations of certain species of indigobirds with finches other than the firefinches. The results are consistent with mitochondrial DNA estimates of greater genetic similarity among indigobirds than among their foster species. The field observations support the hypothesis of evolutionary associations of the brood parasite and foster species by colonization with switching from one foster to another rather than by cospeciation.