Some of us are old enough to remember watching episodes of Roy Rogers and similar shows. One interesting thing: When a bald eagle was sighted, you heard the majestic call of a…red-tailed hawk! 

We have been duped for years, because Hollywood producers decided that the screech of the red-tailed hawk was more fitting for a chase scene than the gull-like call of a bald eagle. 

Having said that, there are birds in the corvid family that imitate the screech of a red-tailed hawk; the most common of these is the blue jay. Most of the time, they perform these calls to drive away food competition.

Other animals that have some deception ploys are non-venomous snakes. Species such as eastern black rat snakes and milk snakes can rattle their tails in dried leaves; even though these snakes do not have true rattle segments, the leaves make a good decoy. Some of these species might share habitat with venomous species, so be careful.

Insects can show some good tools to ward off predators; some caterpillars have big eye-like markings on their rear section, and some moths have eye markings on their wings. Insects such as the monarch butterfly utilize a chemical derived from milkweed to deter predators. 

When it comes to insects, you might be able to see some of nature’s deceptive camouflage right in your own garden.