Gray Catbird

[pauraque]

After spending the winter along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Gray Catbirds are back in Vermont!



They're named for their characteristic nasal "mreeennnh!" call that sounds like a cat impatient for dinner. They're related to mockingbirds and can also mimic other birds' songs and miscellaneous noises, but unlike mockingbirds which tend to perform an imitation several times in a row clearly, Gray Catbirds do a chattery stream-of-consciousness jumble of bits and pieces of different things.

The all-gray plumage with a darker cap makes them easy to recognize. In this photo you can also see a glimpse of the rust-red undertail coverts. Males and females look alike. Their bills are black; this one's looks mottled because it's got suet on it. We've had two in the yard lately which are both very into the suet, and they will fly in and rudely body-check the other one off the feeder if they feel like it.

Comments

[cmcmck]

We had a greenfinch in today and the male and female are completely unalike. Our visitor was a male.

[chestnut_pod]

Mreeennnh!!!

[full_metal_ox]

Hmm…I’m going to have to keep an eye as well as an ear out for Gray Catbirds, who do live n this part of Florida; there’s a lot of scatting jazzlike improvisational birdsong, but I’ve chalked that up to the Mockingbirds, who are far more visually distinctive.

[yourlibrarian]

nasal "mreeennnh!" call that sounds like a cat impatient for dinner

Haha, oh dear! I can just imagine a whole bunch of these about.