Gray Catbird

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Gray Catbird
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae Genus: Dumetella CT Wood, 1837 Species: D. carolinensis
Binomial name
Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)

The Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) is a medium-sized perching bird of the Mimid family and the only member of genus Dumetella.

Adults are dark gray with a slim, black bill and dark eyes. They have a long dark tail, dark legs and a dark cap; they are rust-colored underneath their tail.

Their breeding habitat is semi-open areas with dense, low growth across most of North America. They are found in urban, suburban, and rural habitats. 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.

They migrate to the southeastern United States, Mexico and Central America. Outram Bangs and Thomas S. Bradlee (1901) described the smaller Bermudian birds, which have narrow and shorter tail feathers and primaries as bermudianus, but this species was never accepted by the A. O. U. committee on nomenclature. They were once very common in Bermuda, but their numbers have been greatly reduced in recent years by deforestation and nest predation by introduced species (including the Great Kiskadee and the European Starling). They are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe.

These birds forage on the ground in leaf litter. They mainly eat insects and berries.

In the United States, this species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Contents 1 Song & Calls 2 Unrelated Catbirds 3 Interesting Catbird Facts 4 References 5 External links 6 Further reading 6.1 Book 6.2 Articles

[edit] Song & Calls

The catbird is named for its cat-like call, but, like many members of the Mimid family, it also mimics the songs of other birds. A catbird's song is easily distinguished from that of the northern mockingbird or brown thrasher because the mockingbird repeats phrases 3-4 times, and the brown thrasher usually repeats each phrase twice, whereas the catbird sings each phrase only once. The catbird's song is usually described as more raspy and less musical than a mockingbird.

The catbird produces a variety of calls, including the familiar ones resembling a cat's meow, as well as an alarm call which resembles the quiet quacking of a male mallard.

In contrast to many songbirds which choose a prominent perch from which to sing, the catbird often chooses to sing from inside a bush or small tree, where they are obscured from view by the foliage.

[edit] Unrelated Catbirds

The Gray Catbird is not to be confused with nor is it related to the following four bird species of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, known as bowerbirds:

• White-eared Catbird, Ailuroedus buccoides
• Spotted Catbird, Ailuroedus melanotis
• Green Catbird, Ailuroedus crassirostris
• Tooth-billed Catbird, Ailuroedus dentirostris

[edit] Interesting Catbird Facts

The syrinx of gray catbirds has an unusual structure that not only allows them to make mewing sounds like that of a cat but also allows them to imitate other birds, tree frogs, and even mechanical sounds that they hear. Their unusual syrinx also allows them to sing in two voices at once.

Gray catbirds are not afraid of predators and respond to them aggressively to them 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.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Dumetella carolinensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

• The Original Description and Author of the genus Dumetella

[edit] 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.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Book

• Cimprich, D. A., and F. R. Moore. 1995. Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 167 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

[edit] Articles

• Belles-Isles JC & Picman J. (1986). Destruction of Heterospecific Eggs by the Gray Catbird. Wilson Bulletin. vol 98, no 4. p. 603-605.

• Boughey MJ & Thompson NS. (1976). Species Specificity and Individual Variation in the Songs of the Brown Thrasher Toxostoma-Rufum and Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis. Behaviour. vol 57, no 1-2. p. 64-90.

• Cimprich DA & Moore FR. (2006). Fat affects predator-avoidance behavior in gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) during migratory stopover. Auk. vol 123, no 4. p. 1069-1076.

• Dolby AS, Clarkson CE, Haas ET, Miller JK, Havens LE & Cox BK. (2005). Do song-phrase production rate and song versatility honestly communicate male parental quality in the Gray Catbird?. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 76, no 3. p. 287-292.

• Eddins ME & Rogers DT, Jr. (1992). Autumnal migration of the gray catbird through coastal Alabama. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 63, no 4. p. 401-407.

• Garvin MC, Basbaum JP, Ducore RM & Bell KE. (2003). Patterns of Haemoproteus beckeri parasitism in the gray catbird (Dumatella carolinensis) during the breeding season. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. vol 39, no 3. p. 582-587.

• Garvin MC, Scheidler LC, Cantor DG & Bell KE. (2004). Abundance and temporal distribution of Ornithonyssus sylviarum Canestrini and Fanzago (Acarina: Mesostigmata) in gray catbird (Dumatella carolinensis) nests. Journal of Vector Ecology. vol 29, no 1. p. 62-65.

• Hauber ME. (1998). Single-egg removal from an artificial nest by the gray catbird. Wilson Bulletin. vol 110, no 3. p. 426-429.

• Hazelton PK, Robel RJ & Dayton AD. (1984). Preferences and Influence of Paired Food Items on Energy Intake of American Robins Turdus-Migratorius and Gray Catbirds Dumetella-Carolinensis. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol 48, no 1. p. 198-202.

• Johnson EJ & Best LB. (1982). Factors Affecting Feeding and Brooding of Gray Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis Nestlings. Auk. vol 99, no 1. p. 148-156.

• Lent RA. (1992). Variation in gray catbird nest morphology. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 63, no 4. p. 411-419.

• Long R. (1981). Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis in the Channel Islands. British Birds. vol 74, no 12. p. 526-527.

• Marsh RL. (1977). Biochemical and Structural Adaptations in the Flight Muscles of the Migratory Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis. American Zoologist. vol 17, no 4. p. 894-894.

• Marsh RL. (1981). Catabolic Enzyme Activities in Relation to Pre Migratory Fattening and Muscle Hypertrophy in the Gray Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis. Journal of Comparative Physiology B Biochemical Systemic & Environmental Physiology. vol 141, no 4. p. 417-424.

• Marsh RL. (1983). Adaptations of the Gray Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis to Long Distance Migration Energy Stores and Substrate Concentrations in Plasma. Auk. vol 100, no 1. p. 170-179.

• Marsh RL. (1984). Adaptations of the Gray Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis to Long Distance Migration Flight Muscle Hypertrophy Associated with Elevated Body Mass. Physiological Zoology. vol 57, no 1. p. 105-117.

• Marshall JS, Glover PAR, Buechi KA & VanDruff LW. (2001). Nest reuse by a Gray Catbird. Wilson Bulletin. vol 113, no 3. p. 337-338.

• Mollhoff WJ. (1976). Successful Parasitism of the Gray Catbird by the Brown-Headed Cowbird. Wilson Bulletin. vol 88, no 3. p. 504-505.

• Pence DB & Casto SD. (1975). The Systematic Position of the Gray Catbird Dumetella-Carolinensis as Indicated by Its Nasal Mites Acarina Dermanyssidae Rhinonyssinae. Wilson Bulletin. vol 87, no 1. p. 75-82.

• Powell MC. (1978). A Gray Catbird Nest in Duval County Florida USA. Florida Field Naturalist. vol 6, no 2.

• Preston K. (1989). Gray Catbird in County Cork New to Britain and Ireland Uk. British Birds. vol 82, no 1. p. 1-3.

• Raynor GS. (1979). Weight and Size Variation in the Gray Catbird Dumetella-Cardinensis. Bird Banding. vol 50, no 2. p. 124-144.

• Rivers JW & Sandercock BK. (2004). Predation by gray catbird on brown thrasher eggs. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 49, no 1. p. 101-103.

• Scott DM. (1977). Cowbird Parasitism on the Gray Catbird at London Ontario Canada. Auk. vol 94, no 1. p. 18-27.

• Stevenson HM & Menk GE. (1978). The Breeding Status of the Gray Catbird in Florida. Florida Field Naturalist. vol 6, no 1. p. 13-15.

• Stewart PA. (1969). Prey in 2 Screech Owl Nests Otus-Asio Dumetella-Carolinensis Vermivora-Ruficapilla Melospiza-Melodia Microtus-Ochrogaster Heterodon-Platyrhinos. Auk. vol 86, no 1.

• Young AM. (1968). Predation by Catbirds on Dragonflies Dumetella-Carolinensis. Condor. vol 70, no 2.