With the release of "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" movies, we wanted to assure that while a government mishap hasn’t yet created anything like the mockingjay, we do see outstanding examples of mimicry in nature that help animals to survive in the wild.
The Story of the Mockingjay
In Suzanne Collins’ book, The Hunger Games, the mockingjay bird is the evolutionary result of a failed government breeding experiment. The evil government of Panem first created the jabberjay to spy on enemies and rebels of the Capitol, as they could memorize and repeat entire human conversations. However, once the rebels realized their conversations were being transmitted, they used the jabberjays against the Capitol, sending back false information. The government then abandoned the birds to die off in the wild.
But, in an example of extraordinary wildlife almost never doing what we expect, male jabberjays bred with female mockingbirds, giving birth to the mockingjay, which could repeat both human melodies and birdsong and were thus better able to protect themselves (and the rebels of Panem) in the wild. The inability of the government to control these animals made them an inspiration and a symbol for the rebel cause.
Though the mockingjay is not a real species, the fascinating trait of mimicry is very real in the wild, as seen in the mockingbird and other animals.
The Breakdown: Mockingbird vs. Mockingjay
- Mockingjay – Fictional – It can repeat both human melodies and birdsong and plays a symbolic and thematic role in The Hunger Games.
- Mockingbird – Real – It can mimic a variety of noises such as car alarms, cats, crickets, etc.
