Tamaa

"Yes, it's true. I can sound like other animals, any other animal in the Pride Lands, really. It's my little talent."

- Tamaa, The Call of the Drongo

Tamaa is an adult male drongo who lives in the Pride Lands.

He appears in the episode The Call of the Drongo.

Appearance
When Tamaa was a baby bird, the feathers that stick out behind his head were larger compared to his body size. His crest was also smaller in this way, and it was composed of only three rounded feathers rather than four pointed ones.

Tamaa as an adult is a small, dark blue bird with slightly lighter blue feathers leading down the middle of his wings. This lighter blue is also present on most of the body, blending in with the darker feathers. He has a pale blue beak and feet. His eyes are olive green. Five dark curving lines are present on the back of his head, likely the outlines of feathers. He has a crest at the top of his forehead which fades into lighter blue, and a few feathers that stick out behind his head. He has a large tail which becomes thin towards the center, with two large feathers sticking out at either end.

Personality
Tamaa has been described as "deceptive" and seems to be quite unkind to other Pride Landers, being willing to trick them and steal from them. He is also persuasive, especially when using his talent of mimicking others. However, he has a change of heart near the end of the episode The Call of the Drongo. He shows bravery when, rather than flying to the safety of the Pride Lands, he remains in the Outlands to help a herd of impalas. He also appears to be a performer, proud of his mimicry.

History
From the day he was hatched, Tamaa discovered that he had a talent for mimicking other animals around him. However, he found it difficult to locate an adequate supply of food for himself and thus turned his hobby into a trick, using his voice to fool other animals into believing that he was a predator lurking nearby before stealing their food away from them.

The Call of the Drongo
Tamaa is first heard, though not shown, threatening a small rodent. He lies to her, claiming that he is Makuu the crocodile and is going to eat her. He is next heard speaking to a hare and giving her a similar message, although this time pretending to be Goigoi the jackal. His voice is heard for a third time, sounding quite like Janja the hyena's, and repeating the same words to Muhangus. But while talking in Janja's voice again, he is overheard by the Lion Guard. They discover him concealed in a bush, and he introduces himself. Kion assures him that the Guard wouldn't let Janja hurt him, and Tamaa asks why he would. Realizing that he had almost given himself away, Tamaa informs the Guard that Janja and the hyenas were nearby, but had since left. He hesitates, then points them in the direction that the hyenas apparently went. However, the Guard returns while Tamaa is mimicking Janja's voice once more in order to frighten a hyrax. He confesses that he does mimic other animals after Kion pins him by the tail. He winks at Ono and adds that it is hiss little talent. Kion answers that he has been using to scare others, and Fuli demands that he admits it. Tamaa responds mimicking Janja, saying that he would never. Seeing the displeasure of the Guard, he amends his reply using his regular voice. He admits that he did mimic voices, and asks if there is harm in that. The Guard retorts that he was doing it in order to steal food, and he insists that it is nothing but a show. Ono angrily asks who he thinks he is, and Tamaa sings the song Bird of a Thousand Voices to explain. Bunga requests that Tamaa imitates him. Tamaa agrees, but Kion interrupts before he can begin. Kion kindly speaks to Tamaa, explaining why he should not use his talent the way he does, and Tamaa sympathizes with the animals he has stolen from promises not to use any voice but his own. He later appears trying without success to convince a striped grass mouse to share her grubs. He is indignant when she denies, and notes that she would not have said that to Janja. Tamaa is overheard by the hyenas soon after, mimicking Janja and threatening to eat the mouse. The real Janja discovers him in a bush and startles him, causing him to scream and take flight. But before he can escape, Cheezi's teeth close around his tail and stop him. He asks the hyenas not to eat him, first in Janja's voice as he is pulled down and then in his own as he is hung by the tail from Cheezi's mouth. Janja announces that they might not eat him if he helps them, and Tamaa asks how. Still imprisoned by Cheezi, Tamaa listens while Janja orders him to say what Janja told him to say, but in Kion's voice. Tamaa replies that he might not be able to, never having done Kion's voice before. But Janja threatens to eat him if he cannot, and Tamaa remarks that perhaps he can mimic Kion. He then tells the impala herd to go to the Outlands, since Janja and his hyenas are in the Pride Lands. The impalas flee into the Outlands, and Tamaa brags about his performance and requests that he is released. He is surprised when Janja denies him, and irritably asks Cheezi to stop breathing on his "sensitive feathers". Deeper in the Outlands, Tamaa attempts to persuade Cheezi and Chungu to free him. He says to them that once Janja has him as a partner, he will no longer need them, but the hyenas aren't fooled until Tamaa imitates Janja, commanding them to let him go. Tamaa starts to fly away, but then remembers the impalas. He turns around and goes back to the canyon with the impalas. He mimics the voices of the Lion Guard members, notifying the hyenas that they are surrounded. Janja realizes it is Tamaa, and declares that he knows the Lion Guard is not actually nearby. However, the real Lion Guard arrives and orders the hyenas away. In Kion's voice, Tamaa tells them not to come back. He then apologizes, remarking that he was on a roll. In the Pride Lands, Tamaa expresses that it felt great to use his talent for good. He promises, sincerely this time, not to imitate others unless it is for good. Bunga asks to be imitated one more time, and Tamaa obliges. He shouts Bunga's catchphrase before flying away.

Songs

 * Bird of a Thousand Voices

Trivia

 * At the end of his song, Tamaa's line of 'Thank you very much' is a reference to Elvis Presley.

Tamaa