Birds Posters
Catbirds
Gray catbirds are native to the Nearctic region.
They breed in north, central and eastern United States (from Oregon to New Mexico, to along the East coast), and south-central and
western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba). During the winter they live in the extreme southeastern United States,
Gray catbirds live in dense thickets of shrubs and vines within woodlands, and are occasionally found in residential areas.
Several unrelated groups of songbirds are called catbirds because of their wailing calls, which resemble a cat's meowing.
The genus name Ailuroedus likewise is from the Greek for "cat-singer" or cat-voiced.
Gray Catbirds are able to recognize their own eggs making them less susceptible to brood parasites such as the Brown-headed Cowbird.
Their calls include the catlike meow call that gives them their name.
When feeding on the ground, they toss leaves aside with their bills rather than scratching with their feet.
Gray catbirds are medium-sized birds with a dark gray body, a black cap and black tail feathers.
They have a chestnut patch underneath the tail coverts. Eastern populations are generally darker grey than western populations.
Gray catbirds have short rounded wings and long rounded tail feathers, a short black bill, black eyes, and black feet and legs.
They range from 21 to 24 cm long, and weigh 23 to 56 grams.
Call is a quiet "mew" or harsh "quit" or "chack"; This bird imitates calls of jays, kingfishers, swallows, grosbeaks, and other songbirds.