Gray Catbird

It's a bird! It's a cat! It's a Gray Catbird!

When I first heard the Gray Catbird's call, it sounded like it was complaining: "wehhhh wehhh." It was perched on a branch, and I was only able to snap a few photos before it darted into the underbrush. Those photos didn't come out super great, so I went back later, and luckily, the Gray Catbird above was in the area. Much less shy, it sat contentedly on a branch while I snapped photos.

Apparently this a trademark of the Gray Catbird. It's described as sometimes hiding and sometimes acting bold ^[1] (sort of like a cat). It's also often found in thickets and areas with dense undergrowth.^{[1, 2]} Below is a photo close to the area I saw it in—the actual area was a little more branchy.

An area close to the area I saw the bird above. The actual area was slightly more branchy.

 

"Wehhh" is far from the only sound the Gray Catbird can make. They love to sing, and like the Northern Mockingbird, they can mimic other sounds. They have a vast song list they can copy from, from other bird calls to frogs to machinery, and unlike the Northern Mockingbird, they don't repeat song phrases within a song.^[3,4] The result is a wildly varied song that can last up to 10 minutes.^[3] Gray Catbirds are also capable of turning down the volume: sometimes the male will whisper a song, and the female will whisper back.^[5]

And, as their name suggests, they can make a sound like a cat.^[1] Have a listen on Audubon's website! Under Range & Identification, scroll down to the recording titled "Ratchet Calls and Mews."^[6]

Pretty impressive, right?

Their tendency to sing eclectic songs is mirrored in their eating habits. They've been known to eat a wide variety of foods from feeders, such as cornflakes, peanuts, cheese, and even doughnuts.^[1,4] However, insects and berries make up most of their diets.^[1,3]

Breeding season can be a good time to listen for the Gray Catbird's song. Males migrate first, and when the females show up, the males follow them around incessantly.^[7] Then it's time to put on the old razzle dazzle. The males posture, sing, and may even pull a special move in which they stand before the female and display an area that isn't gray: a patch of brownish feathers under its tail.^[1,7] 

I came back through the trail again (the same day as I saw the bird above) and found this bird. I'm not sure if it's the same one. It stood on this Giant Leather Fern leaf and got fluffy.

Of course, baby birds have to have some place to sleep, so both parents work on crafting a cup-shaped nest.^[1] It takes them under a week to build.^[8] However, it's not an equal effort. As Miller (1964) puts it: "While the male gives vent to his joy by singing morning and evening and often far into the night, the female does most of the work" (p. 203).^[7] Plant materials make up most of the nest, though occasionally the birds will include pieces of trash.^[1]

The female lays up to 6 beautiful blue-green eggs inside the nest, and she incubates them for just under 2 weeks.^[1] She also keeps an eye on things. If a brown cowbird sneaks one of its eggs into the nest, the female Gray Catbird has been known to toss that egg out.^[8] 

Despite their plain, almost entirely gray look, the Gray Catbird is a really interesting little bird. Whether it's mewing like a cat, mimicking a frog, or whispering back and forth songs, the Gray Catbird makes its world a little more interesting, a little more filled with song.

A Gray Catbird seemingly grabbing a snack.

The Details:

Common Name: Gray Catbird

Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Mimidae

Seen: On a branch amongst several trees and underbrush

Month: February

Range: The Gray Catbird can be found at some point during the year in most of the United States, except for some of the states along the west coast and parts of the Southwest.^[9] Breeding populations extend up into Canada. Non-breeding populations can be found in some parts of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands. Take a look at the helpful range map on the Cornell Lab's website.

Learn More About Gray Catbirds:

1. Kaufman, K. (1996). Lives of North American birds. Houghton Mifflin.
2. Sibley, D. A. (2000). The Sibley guide to birds. Chanticleer Press.
3. Smithosnian's National Zoo & Conservational Biology Institute. (n.d.). Gray Catbird: Dumetella carolinensis [Fact sheet]. 
4. Alsop, F. J. (2002). Birds of North America (American ed.). Dorling Kindersley Limited. 
5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Gray Catbird: Overview. All About Birds.
6. Audubon. (n.d.). Gray Catbird.
7. Miller, A. H. (1964). Mockingbirds and thrashers: Artists of mimicry and song. In M. B. Grosvenor & F. G. Vosburgh (Eds.), Song and garden birds of North America, pp. 196—207. National Geographic Society. 
8. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). Gray catbird. 
9. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Gray Catbird: Range map. All About Birds.