Gray Catbird
Don't let the gray catbird fool you with its mimic calls. It can easily mimic popular backyard birds. Learn how to attract a gray catbird to your yard, and listen to its song.
Photo: Roland Jordahl
- Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis.
- Family: Mockingbird.
- Length: 8-1/2 inches.
- Wingspan: 11 inches.
- Distinctive Markings: Slate-gray body with a black cap and tail, rust-red feathers under tail.
- Nest: Builds nests in garden shrubs or thickets near creeks or swamps. Females usually lay four glossy dark greenish-blue eggs; often raises two broods in one season.
- Song: Alarm call is a catlike mewing; song is a mix of notes, may mimick other songbirds.
- Habitat: Dense thickets. Easier to hear than see because they hide in dense shrubbery.
- Diet: Insects and berries.
- Backyard Favorites: Will eat grape jelly.
Listen to this bird’s song