Gray Catbird
Encyclopedia
The Gray Catbird also spelled Grey Catbird, is a medium-sized northern American
perching bird
of the mimid
family
. It is the only member of the "catbird
" genus
Dumetella. Like the Black Catbird
(Melanoptila glabrirostris), it is among the basal
lineages of the Mimidae, probably a closer relative of the Caribbean
thrasher
and trembler
assemblage than of the mockingbird
s and Toxostoma
thrashers. In some areas it is known as the Slate-colored Mockingbird.
s are rust-colored and the remiges and rectrices are black, some with white borders. The slim bill, the eyes, and the legs and feet are also blackish. Males and females cannot be distinguished by their looks; different behaviours in the breeding season is usually the only clue to the observer. Juveniles are even plainer in coloration, with buffy undertail coverts.
s the songs of other birds, as well as those of Hylidae (tree frogs), and even mechanical sounds. Because of its well-developed songbird
syrinx
, it is able to make two sounds at the same time. The alarm call
resembles the quiet calls of a male mallard
.
A Gray Catbird's song is easily distinguished from that of the Northern Mockingbird
(Mimus polyglottos) or Brown Thrasher
(Toxostoma rufum) because the mockingbird repeats its phrases or "strophes" 3 to 4 times, the thrasher usually twice, but the catbird sings most phrases only once. The catbird's song is usually described as more raspy and less musical than that of a mockingbird.
In contrast to the many songbirds that choose a prominent perch from which to sing, the catbird often elects to sing from inside a bush or small tree, where it is obscured from view by the foliage.
term dūmus ("thorny thicket"), it thus means approximately "small thornbush-dweller" or "small bird of the thornbushes". It refers to the species' habit of singing when hidden in undergrowth. The specific name carolinensis is New Latin
for "from the Carolinas
".
The species was first described by Carl Linné in his 1766 edition of Systema naturae
. His original name Muscicapa carolinensis reflected the belief, widespread at that time, that the Gray Catbird was some sort of Old World flycatcher
(presumably due to its remarkably plain coloration, not similar to other mimids).
The genus name has a convoluted nomenclatorial history. The monotypic
genus
Galeoscoptes, proposed by Jean Cabanis
in 1850, was widely used up to 1907. This name roughly means "capped mockingbird", from Latin galea "helmet" and Ancient Greek
skóptein (σκώπτειν, "to scold" or "to mock"). But as it turned out, Dumetella was a technically acceptable senior synonym, even though the peculiar circumstances of its publishing left the identity of its author unsolved until 1989. As it turned out, the genus name was published by C.T. Wood
in 1837. His description is somewhat eccentric, and was published under his pseudonym
"S.D.W.". Wood misquotes his source—John Latham
's 1783 General Synopsis of Birds—as calling the bird "Cat Thrush", probably because he knew the species under that name from George Shaw
's General Zoology. Actually, Latham's name was "Cat Flycatcher", analogous to the scientific name of Linné.
Shaw (and subsequently C.T. Wood) used L.J.P. Vieillot
's specific name felivox. This means "happy voice", a contraction of Latin felix ("happy") and vox ("voice"). Vieillot, differing from the earlier authors, believed the bird to be a true thrush
(Turdus).
Though mimids were widely considered Turdidae such until the 1850s, this is actually not significantly more correct than treating them as Old World flycatchers, as these three families are actually distinct lineages of the Muscicapoidea superfamily
. Somewhat ironically, in the mid-20th century, the Turdidae and even most of the Sylvioidea
were lumped
in the Muscicapidae—but the Mimidae were not.
Lastly, the smaller Gray Catbirds from Bermuda
, which have proportionally narrow and shorter rectrices and primary remiges, were described as subspecies
bermudianus ("from Bermuda") by Outram Bangs
in 1901. But this taxon
was never widely accepted, and today the Gray Catbird is generally considered monotypic
as a species, too.
North America
east of the Rocky Mountains
, Gray Catbirds migrate
to the southeastern United States
, Mexico
, Central America
, and the Caribbean
in winter; except for the occasional vagrant they always stay east of the American Cordillera
. They are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe
. Normally present on the breeding grounds by May, most leave for winter quarters in September/October; as it seems, this species is increasingly extending its stay in the summer range, with some nowadays remaining until mid-winter as far north as Ohio
.
Their breeding habitat
is semi-open areas with dense, low growth; they are also found in urban
, suburban, and rural
habitats. In the winter quarters they actually seem to associate with humans even more. These birds mainly forage on the ground in leaf
litter, but also in shrubs and trees. They mainly eat arthropod
s and berries
. In the winter quarters, Cymbopetalum mayanum (Annonaceae
) and Trophis racemosa (Moraceae
) bear fruit well liked by this species, and such trees can be planted to attract the Gray Catbird into parks and gardens.
They build a bulky cup nest in a shrub or tree, close to the ground. Eggs are light blue in color, and clutch
size ranges from 1–5, with 2–3 eggs most common. Both parents take turns feeding the young birds.
Usually a shy bird, it can be attracted by "pish
ing" sound. Gray Catbirds are not afraid of predators and respond to them aggressively by flashing their wings and tails and by making their signature mew sounds. They are also known to even attack and peck predators that come too near their nests. They also will destroy eggs of the brood parasitic
Brown-headed Cowbird
(Molothrus ater) laid in their nests by pecking it.
This species is widespread and generally plentiful, though its reclusive habits often make it seem less common than it actually is. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN due to its large range and numbers.
On Bermuda
however, Gray Catbirds were once very common, but their numbers have been greatly reduced in recent years by deforestation and nest predation by introduced species (including the Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus and the European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris). In the United States
, this species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
.
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
perching bird
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
of the mimid
Mimid
The mimids are the New World family of passerine birds, Mimidae, that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. It is the only member of the "catbird
Catbird
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"....
" genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Dumetella. Like the Black Catbird
Black Catbird
The Black Catbird is a songbird species in the monotypic genus Melanoptila of the family Mimidae. At 24 grams and 20 cm, it is the smallest mimid.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico...
(Melanoptila glabrirostris), it is among the basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
lineages of the Mimidae, probably a closer relative of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
thrasher
Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.These do not form a clade but are a phenetic assemblage...
and trembler
Trembler
Tremblers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 2-4 species in one genus, Cinclocerthia:...
assemblage than of the mockingbird
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera...
s and Toxostoma
Toxostoma
Toxostoma is a genus of bird in the Mimidae family. All members of this genus are called thrashers but there are other birds in the Mimidae family also bearing this title...
thrashers. In some areas it is known as the Slate-colored Mockingbird.
Description
Adults weigh around 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz) and are plain lead gray almost all over. The top of the head is darker. The undertail covertCovert (feather)
A covert feather on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts, which as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail.- Wing-coverts :...
s are rust-colored and the remiges and rectrices are black, some with white borders. The slim bill, the eyes, and the legs and feet are also blackish. Males and females cannot be distinguished by their looks; different behaviours in the breeding season is usually the only clue to the observer. Juveniles are even plainer in coloration, with buffy undertail coverts.
Vocalizations
This species is named for its cat-like call. Like many members of the Mimidae (most famously mockingbirds), it also mimicMimic
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is the similarity of one species to another which protects one or both. This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound, scent and even location, with the mimics found in similar places to their models....
s the songs of other birds, as well as those of Hylidae (tree frogs), and even mechanical sounds. Because of its well-developed songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
syrinx
Syrinx (biology)
Syrinx is the name for the vocal organ of birds. Located at the base of a bird's trachea, it produces sounds without the vocal cords of mammals. The sound is produced by vibrations of some or all of the membrana tympaniformis and the pessulus caused by air flowing through the syrinx...
, it is able to make two sounds at the same time. The alarm call
Alarm call
In the field of animal communication, an alarm signal is an antipredator adaptation referring to various signals emitted by social animals in response to danger. Many primates and birds have elaborate alarm calls for warning conspecifics of approaching predators. For example, the characteristic...
resembles the quiet calls of a male mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
.
A Gray Catbird's song is easily distinguished from that of the Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird
The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Turdus polyglottos....
(Mimus polyglottos) or Brown Thrasher
Brown Thrasher
The Brown Thrasher , sometimes erroneously called the Brown Thrush, is a bird in the Mimidae family, a group that also includes the New World catbirds and mockingbirds.-Description:...
(Toxostoma rufum) because the mockingbird repeats its phrases or "strophes" 3 to 4 times, the thrasher usually twice, but the catbird sings most phrases only once. The catbird's song is usually described as more raspy and less musical than that of a mockingbird.
In contrast to the many songbirds that choose a prominent perch from which to sing, the catbird often elects to sing from inside a bush or small tree, where it is obscured from view by the foliage.
Nomenclature and taxonomy
The name Dumetella is based upon the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
term dūmus ("thorny thicket"), it thus means approximately "small thornbush-dweller" or "small bird of the thornbushes". It refers to the species' habit of singing when hidden in undergrowth. The specific name carolinensis is New Latin
New Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
for "from the Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
".
The species was first described by Carl Linné in his 1766 edition of Systema naturae
Systema Naturae
The book was one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carolus Linnaeus. The first edition was published in 1735...
. His original name Muscicapa carolinensis reflected the belief, widespread at that time, that the Gray Catbird was some sort of Old World flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
(presumably due to its remarkably plain coloration, not similar to other mimids).
The genus name has a convoluted nomenclatorial history. The monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Galeoscoptes, proposed by Jean Cabanis
Jean Cabanis
Jean Louis Cabanis was a German ornithologist.Cabanis was born in Berlin. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1835 to 1839, and then travelled to North America, returning in 1841 with a large natural history collection. He was assistant and later director of the Berlin University Museum,...
in 1850, was widely used up to 1907. This name roughly means "capped mockingbird", from Latin galea "helmet" and Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
skóptein (σκώπτειν, "to scold" or "to mock"). But as it turned out, Dumetella was a technically acceptable senior synonym, even though the peculiar circumstances of its publishing left the identity of its author unsolved until 1989. As it turned out, the genus name was published by C.T. Wood
Charles Thorold Wood
Charles Thorold Wood was an English ornithologist.He was the eldest son of Willoughby Wood, of Alford, Lincolnshire. He was the author of The Ornithological Guide .-References:...
in 1837. His description is somewhat eccentric, and was published under his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"S.D.W.". Wood misquotes his source—John Latham
John Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
's 1783 General Synopsis of Birds—as calling the bird "Cat Thrush", probably because he knew the species under that name from George Shaw
George Shaw
George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University...
's General Zoology. Actually, Latham's name was "Cat Flycatcher", analogous to the scientific name of Linné.
Shaw (and subsequently C.T. Wood) used L.J.P. Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
's specific name felivox. This means "happy voice", a contraction of Latin felix ("happy") and vox ("voice"). Vieillot, differing from the earlier authors, believed the bird to be a true thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
(Turdus).
Though mimids were widely considered Turdidae such until the 1850s, this is actually not significantly more correct than treating them as Old World flycatchers, as these three families are actually distinct lineages of the Muscicapoidea superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
. Somewhat ironically, in the mid-20th century, the Turdidae and even most of the Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...
were lumped
Lumpers and splitters
Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...
in the Muscicapidae—but the Mimidae were not.
Lastly, the smaller Gray Catbirds from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, which have proportionally narrow and shorter rectrices and primary remiges, were described as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
bermudianus ("from Bermuda") by Outram Bangs
Outram Bangs
Outram Bangs was an American zoologist.Bangs was born in Watertown, Massachusetts and studied at Harvard from 1880 to 1884...
in 1901. But this taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
was never widely accepted, and today the Gray Catbird is generally considered monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
as a species, too.
Ecology
Native to most of temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
east of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, Gray Catbirds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in winter; except for the occasional vagrant they always stay east of the American Cordillera
American cordillera
The American Cordillera is a cordillera that consists of an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica. From north to south, this sequence of overlapping and parallel ranges begins with the...
. They are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Normally present on the breeding grounds by May, most leave for winter quarters in September/October; as it seems, this species is increasingly extending its stay in the summer range, with some nowadays remaining until mid-winter as far north as Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Their breeding habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
is semi-open areas with dense, low growth; they are also found in urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
, suburban, and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
habitats. In the winter quarters they actually seem to associate with humans even more. These birds mainly forage on the ground in leaf
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
litter, but also in shrubs and trees. They mainly eat arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. In the winter quarters, Cymbopetalum mayanum (Annonaceae
Annonaceae
Annonaceae, also called the custard apple familyis a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs or rarely lianas.With about 2300 to 2500 species and more than 130 genera,...
) and Trophis racemosa (Moraceae
Moraceae
Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates...
) bear fruit well liked by this species, and such trees can be planted to attract the Gray Catbird into parks and gardens.
They build a bulky cup nest in a shrub or tree, close to the ground. Eggs are light blue in color, and clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
size ranges from 1–5, with 2–3 eggs most common. Both parents take turns feeding the young birds.
Usually a shy bird, it can be attracted by "pish
Pish
A pish is an imitated bird call used by birders and ornithologists to attract birds . The action of making the sound is known as pishing...
ing" sound. Gray Catbirds are not afraid of predators and respond to them aggressively by flashing their wings and tails and by making their signature mew sounds. They are also known to even attack and peck predators that come too near their nests. They also will destroy eggs of the brood parasitic
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or...
(Molothrus ater) laid in their nests by pecking it.
This species is widespread and generally plentiful, though its reclusive habits often make it seem less common than it actually is. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN due to its large range and numbers.
On Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
however, Gray Catbirds were once very common, but their numbers have been greatly reduced in recent years by deforestation and nest predation by introduced species (including the Great Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee
The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus, is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher; sometimes its genus Pitangus is considered monotypic, with the Lesser Kiskadee The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus, is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher; sometimes its genus Pitangus...
Pitangus sulphuratus and the European Starling
European Starling
The Common Starling , also known as the European Starling or just Starling, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae.This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia...
Sturnus vulgaris). In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, this species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
.
External links
- Gray Catbird Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Gray Catbird Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Bermuda Online: Bermudian Fauna.
- Catbird (BirdHouses101.com)
- Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds: Gray Catbird.
- Gray Catbird stamps (for GrenadinesGrenadinesThe Grenadines is a Caribbean island chain of over 600 islands in the Windward Islands.-Geographic boundaries:They are divided between the island nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. They lie between the islands of Saint Vincent in the north and Grenada in the south. Neither...
of GrenadaGrenadaGrenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos IslandsThe Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
) - Gray Catbird photo gallery VIREO
- Photo-High Res; Photo-2--High Res; Article sdakotabirds.com
- Gray Catbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Gray Catbird Bird Sound