Medium-sized songbird, smaller than a robin, with a smooth gray body, black cap, and rusty-red undertail. In contrast this bird was giving really fine imitations of a whole host of different species. Crissal thrasher. Males with the most variety of sounds may be the most attractive to females because large repertoires demonstrate they have already survived many breeding seasons. Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive. How Yellow-billed Loons Survive in the Arctic, Zoom! [Audio Recordings: Gregory F. Budney, Geoffrey A. Keller, Randolph S. Little, George B. Reyard, William R. Fish, Thomas G. Sander; Photographs: Gerrit Vyn, Doug Backlund, Brian Sullivan]. One whole song can last many minutes. Adults weigh from 23.2 to 56.5 g (0.8 to 2.0 oz), with an average of 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz) They range in length from 20.5 to 24 cm (8.1 to 9.4 in) and span 22 to 30 cm (8.7 to 11.8 in) across the wings. American robin. Rather plain but with lots of personality, the Gray Catbird often hides in the shrubbery, making an odd variety of musical and harsh sounds -- including the catlike mewing responsible for its name. Mockingbirds and Thrashers(Order: Passeriformes, Family:Mimidae). Gray catbird (call / song) call, song. Occasionally feeds on suet. With exclusive learning tools, real soundscape recordings, and over 1,300 sound files for you to download, this course will help you identify bird songs from the High Sierras to Coastal Maine (and many places in between). Male Gray Catbirds sing a long, halting series of short notes collected into "phrases," which combine to make a song. The male proclaims his territory or challenges an intruder by singing his song loudly, singing more quietly near the nest, where the female may sing back to … Prefers dense shrubs and small trees in forest edges, streamside thickets, and old fields. Very rich songs but mostly you can’t identify anything other than catbird vocalizations. Brown thrasher. John Flannery. They may attack and peck at predators near the nest. : Wails of the Common Loon, Built to Sing: The Syrinx of the Northern Cardinal. Really spectacular. The notes often are imitations of other birds as well as of frogs and mechanical sounds. Curve-billed thrasher. The theory as to why these mimics imitate other species is that the male with the greatest repertoire is demonstrating to potential mates, to females, that he’s been around, that he through his extensive repertoire has survived many breeding seasons. Sometimes mimics other species in complex, jumbled song. Hermit thrush. While mockingbirds tend to repeat phrases three or more times, and Brown Thrashers typically sing phrases twice before moving on, Catbirds usually don’t repeat phrases. If you’re convinced you’ll never be able to learn bird calls, start with the Gray Catbird. Bicknell's thrush. The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. : The Aerial Display of the Common Nighthawk, I’m Here, Where Are You? Follow the sound into thickets and vine tangles and you’ll be rewarded by a somber gray bird with a black cap and bright rusty feathers under the tail. The Gray Catbird is able to mimic the vocalizations of several other birds, and even other animals. Males with the most variety of sounds may be the most attractive to females because large repertoires demonstrate they have already survived many breeding seasons. Once you’ve heard its catty mew you won’t forget it. Keep learning, participate in group conversations. The notes often are imitations of other birds as well as of frogs and mechanical sounds. California thrasher. Gray catbirds are plain lead gray almost all over. The most common call is a raspy mew that sounds like a cat. Male Gray Catbirds sing a long, halting series of short notes collected into "phrases," which combine to make a song. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. In order to fully appreciate the ability of a particular mimic of an individual as it as it mimics an advanced knowledge of wildlife sounds really helps you tune in to what this animal is doing this bird was mimicking a sora rail, beautiful song out of Western wood pewee, Wilson snipe, and even a pacific tree frog. Gray-cheeked thrush. Occasionally you’ll hear a mimic phrase in the middle of a song out of a catbird, but normally it’s just nondescript warbling that’s taking place. The Gray Catbird is able to mimic the vocalizations of several other birds, and even other animals. Eastern bluebird. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 8.4 to 9.8 cm (3.3 to 3.9 in), the tail is 7.2 to 10.3 cm (2.8 to 4.1 in), the culmen is 1.5 to 1.8 cm (0.6 to 0.7 in) and the tarsus is 2.7 to 2.9 cm (1.1 to 1.1 in). One whole song can last many minutes. The top of the head is darker. At other times it moves about boldly in the open, jerking its long tail expressively. Other chats, thrushes and mockingbirds. Le Conte's thrasher. Sounds include whistles, squeaks, gurgles, whines, and nasal tones. Catbirds also make a loud, chattering chek-chek-chek and a quiet quirt. Females sing infrequently, and when they do, their songs are sung more quietly. If you’d like to improve your skills at identifying birds by their song, consider Bird Academy’s “How to Identify Bird Songs” course. [Gray Catbird] [Greg Budney, Audio Curator, Macaulay Library] I was in northern California in a restored meadow very rich with green grass, dense thick willows and alders and I heard for the first time at this location a gray catbird which was an uncommon sound in California in general and not only was I hearing a gray catbird but I was hearing an incredible catbird, a bird that mimicked to a degree I’d never ever experienced before.