Dumetella carolinensis
The Grey Catbird, *Dumetella carolinensis*, is a distinctive member of the Mimidae family, closely related to mockingbirds and thrashers. Averaging 8.3-9.4 inches (21-24 cm) in length with a wingspan of 8.7-11.8 inches (22-30 cm) and weighing 0.9-2.0 ounces (25-56 grams), this medium-sized songbird is uniformly slate grey, set apart by a striking black cap and a conspicuous rufous (rust-colored) patch beneath its tail. Its slender bill, dark eyes, and long tail are also key identification fea...
Primarily found in dense shrubbery, thickets, and undergrowth of deciduous forests, the Grey Catbird also thrives in forest edges, riparian corridors, and suburban parks and gardens. It typically occurs at low to moderate elevations.
Omnivorous, their diet consists primarily of insects such as ants, beetles, flies, and caterpillars, especially during the breeding season, supplemented heavily by various fruits and berries in summer and fall. They forage by gleaning from vegetation and snatching insects from the air.
Grey Catbirds are primarily diurnal, actively foraging during the day and roosting securely in dense vegetation at night. They employ a varied foraging strategy, gleaning insects from foliage, probing the ground for invertebrates, and catching flying insects, often supplementing their diet with a...
The Grey Catbird exhibits a broad geographic distribution across North America. Its primary breeding range encompasses much of the eastern and central United States, extending north into southern Canada from the Atlantic coast west through the Great Plains, and westwards into isolated pockets of ...
Least Concern
- The Grey Catbird is a master mimic, capable of imitating the calls of dozens of other bird species, frogs, and even mechanical sounds, though it often repeats phrases only once or twice, unlike the Northern Mockingbird. - Its scientific genus name, *Dumetella*, means "small thicket-dweller," ap...