Monday, May 4, 2009

Gray Catbird


The Gray Catbird is a handsome fellow. Easy to mistake for a blackbird at first glance. It is supposed to have a roufus (red-brown) area under the tail but I have not seen that.


The Gray Catbird, slate gray with a black crown.

The Catbird is so named for the mewing call which sounds rather like a cat meowing. Related to the Mockingbird and the Brown Thrush it also can imitate the cries of other birds, and is a fearless defender of its nest. It is a little shy and is more often heard than seen. I have seen very few but since setting out the suet feeder the Catbird has been a regular, although still a bit shy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

I have never ever heard of a catbird - grey or otherwise! Why is it called a catbird? I've heard of a birddog but don't know what that is either!! I'm such an ignorant peasant.

Anne

Unknown said... [Reply to comment]

A catbird is a bird that makes a sound like a cat meowing. A bird dog is a dog trained to hunt and retrieve birds.