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How can migratory birds connect a mimic and model that live in different geographic regions?

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Müllerian mimicry: butterflies — mimicry *Heliconius* butterflies demonstrating Müllerian mimicry, a form of mimicry where one or more species exhibit closely similar warning systems. In this case, wing patterning and coloration among the species appear very similar.

In the study of mimicry, it is not strictly required for a model and its mimic to be sympatric, or to inhabit the same geographic region. Instead, these organisms must share a common signal receiver, such as a predator, that has learned to associate the model's appearance with a specific consequence, such as unpalatability.1

Migratory birds can functionally connect a model and a mimic that live in different regions by acting as this common signal receiver. Because these birds travel across vast distances, they may encounter the model in one geographic area (for example, Africa) and the mimic in another (such as Europe). Through their migratory behavior, the birds carry the learned experience of the model's warning signals—such as conspicuous coloration—to the mimic's range, thereby extending the protective benefits of the mimicry system across different continents.1