Catbird Cries

Catbird Cries

Catbirds arrive back from their southern hones the last week of April. You will notice the sound of the catbird cries. If there are a few catbirds in the area it may sometimes sound like cats fighting. 

Gray Catbird

Catbird

The gray catbird is a medium-size perching bird that is slate gray in color with a black cap and tail and brick red under tail-coverts.

The male and female look identical and can only be told apart by their mating behaviors.


General Information

Name::Gray Catbird, Grey Catbird, Slate-colored mockingbird
Scientific Name::Dumetella carolinensis
Family:Mimid 
Size:8–9.5 inches
Habitat:Woodlands, orchards, gardens, hedges, and shrubberies
Diet:Insects, berries, fruit

Video of Catbird Cries

After listening to the soundtrack, do you agree the bird sounds like a cat?


Diet In Nature

Crickets & GrasshoppersVirginia creeper berries
Blackberries Ants
ElderberriesCankerworms
RaspberriesScavenger Beetles
Potato BeetleChinch-bugs

What They Eat In The Yard

Catbirds will visit and nest in your yard if you have scrubs. They love berry trees and bushes and will steal a few of your strawberries will you have them in your garden.

Behinds the natural items they may find in your yard, you can offer anything from the list below.

Offer At The Feeder:

Sugar Water
Berries
Oranges
Grape Jelly
Suet


Nesting Info

Habitat:Thickets, shrubs, or heavily foliaged trees
Nest ShapeCup nest
Eggs:1-5 eggs that are deep greenish blue
Incubation:2 to 16 days
Fledging:10-11 days

General Nesting Information

Catbirds raise their young in bushes and thickets close to the ground. It is not uncommon to see them nesting in a bush in your yard. Females lay 1-5 eggs that are deep greenish-blue in a high cup-shaped nest. The female incubates the eggs but both parents feed the young. The young stay in the nest for a short time, only 10-11 days.


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