Gray Catbird
(Dumetella carolinensis)
| Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe |
N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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| Occurrence | Common migrant and breeder |
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| Habitat | Dense, deciduous, woodland thickets, forest edges |
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| Size | 8½″ to 9″in length 11″ wingspan |
Photo by Tom Baker | |||||
| Identification | This is a chunky, medium-sized, perching bird. They are present in Minnesota from May through mid-October. They winter in the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The oldest recorded lifespan is of a bird in captivity is 17 years and 10 months. Adults are 8¼″ to 9½″ long, weigh .8 ounce to 2 ounces, and have a wingspan of 8¾″ to 12″. The wings, back, chest, and belly are slate gray. The bird often displays a raised tail when perched. The tail feathers are slate gray or dark gray above, black with pale edges below. The undertail coverts are chestnut brown. The legs and feet are black. The head is slate gray with a black crown and forehead. The bill is short, slender, and black. The eyes are black. Males and females are alike in size and appearance. They can be distinguished only by behavior in Breeding season. |
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| Voice | Descending, cat-like mew, not repeated. |
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| Similar Species |
Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) has a white forehead, cheek, and throat. It does not have a black crown or chestnut undertail coverts. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) has a pale throat, chest, and belly. The wings are dark with two white wing bars. It does not have a black crown, black forehead, or chestnut undertail coverts. Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) has buffy wing patches and a white eye ring. It does not have a black crown, black forehead, or chestnut undertail coverts. |
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| Food | Fruit, seeds, insects, and other invertebrates. |
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| Nesting | Gray Catbirds usually have two broods per season. Breeding begins soon after the adults reach the Breeding territory in April. The female builds a nest, sometimes with the male supplying materials, usually on a horizontal branch near the center of a dense shrub or small tree. The female lays usually 3 or 4, but as few as 1 or as many as 5, turquoise-colored eggs. The eggs hatch after 12 to 14 days. The young leave the nest after 10 or 11 days. |
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| Migration |
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| Comments |
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| Taxonomy | Order: |
Passeriformes (perching birds) |
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Family: |
Mimidae (mockingbirds and thrashers) |
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Slideshows |
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| Gray Catbird Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren |
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| Gray Catbird JMC Nature Photos |
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| Gray Catbirds jt893x |
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| Gray Catbird Craig A. Mullenbach |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this bird. |
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Other Videos |
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| Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) mating song robiss88 |
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About
Uploaded on May 19, 2011 Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) mating song in rose bush... 5-18-11...no video of bird, sorry...I had to hide the camera in the bush, & wait for the male to return. |
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| The Gray Catbird (Mimidae: Dumetella carolinensis) Carl Barrentine |
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About
Uploaded on Dec 28, 2009 A brief but contemplative look at the Gray Catbird, which is an often heard but seldom seen avian species found in deciduous and riparian habitats throughout the upper midwest of the United States. Specimens shown here were photographed in North Dakota. |
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| Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) TheChannelOfAnimals |
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About
Published on May 14, 2013 In this video, two gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) are shown hopping around branches in a small ravine. This video was recorded on May 11, 2013 in Guilford, Connecticut. |
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| Gray Catbird Mewing - June 25, 2013 Don Gagnon |
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About
Published on Jun 27, 2013 Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Mewing, Yellow Trail, Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge, Seapowet Avenue, Tiverton, Rhode Island, Tuesday afternoon, June 25, 2013, 5:14 PM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_23490; 2:54 min. |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Share your sighting of this bird. |
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| April 6/14/2018 |
Location: eden prairie |
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| Tom Baker 8/18/2012 |
Location: Purgatory Creek Park |
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| Tom Baker 6/25/2012 |
Location: Purgatory Creek Park |
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| Bill Reynolds 6/29/2013 |
Location: Pennington Co. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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