Gray Catbird

The Gray catbird is hands-down our favorite garden bird! Learn why in my observations below.

Latin name: Dumetella carolinensis

Length, wingspan: 8.5″, 11″

What they eat: Insects, berries

Plants that attract: Dense shrub plantings, vines, trees

Where they nest: Shrubs, trees or vines

My observations: What if you hear what sounds like a mewing cat in your garden, but there aren’t cats in your garden? Chances are, it’s a catbird. This rather bashful bird is about the size of a robin. It has gray plumage along with what looks like a dark gray toupee. They usually hold their tail at an odd angle from their body. You might notice reddish-brown feathers (called “coverts”) underneath their tails. In addition to the mewing sounds, catbirds are masters at mimicking the calls of other birds. The older a catbird is, the larger its repertoire of songs is. The female lays anywhere from one to six beautiful turquoise eggs. Catbirds are only visitors to the garden during the summer months.

We’ve been treated to a pair of nesting catbirds in our garden for years. The male typically shows up first, usually about the 3rd week of May. He will call for his mate every day until she shows up a week or two later. Then they get down to the business of raising a family. The catbird is, hands-down, our favorite garden bird!

This is what their mewing call sounds like (you’ll notice it’s being elusive):

And here’s a catbird singing somebody else’s song!

For more details about this bird, go to Cornell’s All About Birds website.

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