Dumetella carolinensis

Description

This is a thin bird, is slate gray, and has a black cap on its head. Males and females look the same.

Voice

This bird gets its name because of its song; it sounds of catlike meowing and is very distinctive of the bird. It also has a tcheck-tcheck.

Habitat

They are found in undergrowth, suburban areas, and brush.

Diet

These birds eat mainly insects and other arthropods (i.e. spiders, caterpillars, and millipedes).

Range

Gray catbirds can be found throughout the entire eastern part of the United States and westward over to New Mexico, up to Utah, and all the way up to Washington.

Other Useful Information

Brown-headed cowbirds are parasitic birds that lay their eggs in other species’ nests. Most birds do not recognize the difference between the eggs, and will incubate the brown-headed cowbird egg as if it were its own. The brown-headed cowbird hatchling leaves the egg firs, is larger than the other chicks and normally out competes the other chicks in the nest, thus leaving the other chicks much more defenseless and greatly diminishes their chances of survival. Gray catbirds are one of the few birds in the area that recognize the brown-headed cowbird’s egg as not being their own and will throw them out of the nest.