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Gray Catbird

Dumetella carolinensisOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)
Gray Catbird Breeding Adult Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: All-purpose
  • Eye Color: Dark brown to maroon brown.
  • Head Pattern: Capped, Plain
  • Crown Color: Black
  • Forehead Color: Black
  • Nape Color: Gray
  • Throat Color: Gray
  • Cere color: No Data
Gray Catbird Breeding Adult Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 22-23 cm (8.5-9 in)
  • Weight: 37 g (1.3 oz)
  • Size: Size 2. Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color: Brown, Black, Gray
  • Underparts: Pale Gray
  • Upperparts: Gray
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Gray Catbird Breeding Adult Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Swift flight on series of rapidly beating wings., Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
  • Wingspan Range: 28-30 cm (11-12 in)
  • Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Red-brown coverts.
  • Leg Color: Gray-black
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Family Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)_blue
Species Dumetella carolinensis
Length8.5 - 9 Inches
Wingspan11.5 Inches

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbird: Small, shy, dark gray mockingbird with black cap and red-brown undertail coverts. The bill, legs, and feet are black. Forages on ground, shrubs and branches. Feeds mostly on insects and their larvae, spiders, berries and fruits. Swift direct flight on rapid wing beats.

● Song: "mew", "mew", "chack"

● Foraging & Feeding: Gray Catbird: Feeds mostly on insects such as beetles, caterpillars, cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, ants, and aphids; also eats spiders, fruits, berries, and seeds; forages on the ground or in shrubs and low trees.

● Breeding & nesting: Gray Catbird: Two to six dark blue green eggs are laid in a nest made of twigs and grass, lined with finer materials, and built in a dense shrub or low tree. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Gray Catbird: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight on series of rapidly beating wings., Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Gray Catbird Breeding Adult Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Gray Catbird: Breeds from southern Canada to central New Mexico and the Gulf states and in Bermuda. Most spend winters in the southeastern U.S., Panama, and the West Indies, but some winter north to Minnesota and southeastern Canada. Prefers low, dense vegetation or vine tangles at the edges of forests, marshes, and streams; does not occur in forest interiors. Suburban landscapes often contain good habitat for this species.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.3 Ounces