Gray Catbird —Ross Feldner This secretive bird is usually found in dense thickets and gets its name from the cat-like “Mew” it makes. The Gray Catbird's song is an jaunty series of musical whistles and catlike mews mixed in with imitations of other birds' songs. As one of the last birds to settle in for the night, you will often hear it singing until after dusk. Aside from their noted cat call, catbirds can also copy a variety of noises, including a dog’s bark and imitate other birds such as a blackbird, crow, or robin. Although they appear to be all gray, if you look closer you will see a small black cap and a rufous-brown patch under the tail. When displaying, Gray Catbirds will often sing from a high perch. This behavior gave rise to an idiom heard in the southern United States, "sitting in the catbird seat," which refers to someone in an advantageous position. Like many other migratory birds, catbirds face a variety of threats during their biannual journey. Such threats include collisions with windows, wind turbines, and communications towers, as well as attacks by free-roaming cats. A study by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) found that nearly half of all catbird fledglings fell victim to outdoor cats. | |
