Overview
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.
Range and 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.
Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)
ORDER
Also known as perching birds, the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) is composed of one hundred and eighteen families that range from the tiny kinglets to the aquatic dippers and the highly vocal mockingbirds.
FAMILY TAXONOMY
A bird family restricted to North and South America, there are thirty-four species of mockingbirds and thrashers in ten genera in the Mimidae (pronounced MIH-muh-dee), (also known as "Mimids").
NORTH AMERICA
There are twenty-four species of Mimids in ten genera in North America. The well-known Northern Mockingbird is included in this group along with catbirds and the terrestrial thrashers.
KNOWN FOR
Mimids are most well known for being very accomplished singers. Most species frequently sing loud, complex songs that include imitations of other bird species; the Northern Mockingbird being particularly gifted in this respect.
PHYSICAL
Small-to-medium sized bird, Mimids are slender with long tails, short wings, and fairly long legs. Their bills are thin and straight in some species and strongly downcurved in the case of thrashers.
COLORATION
Except for the Blue Mockingbird (a rare visitor from Mexico), Mimids lack bright colors and are plumaged in shades of gray, white, and brown with black markings. Several species have white wing bars and white markings in the tail; most thrashers are streaked or spotted on the underparts.
GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT
Mockingbirds, catbirds, and thrashers are most common in warmer climates (especially in the southwestern United States), and are birds of non-forest habitats. Catbirds skulk in second growth in the east while in the southern United States mockingbirds sing from open, park-like habitats and the tops of houses. Brown Thrashers live in similar habitats in the east and are replaced by other thrasher species in various arid and shrubby habitats in the west.
MIGRATION
Apart from a sole long distance migrant that spends the winter in humid second growth in Mexico and Central America (the Gray Catbird), Mimid species are ether short distance migrants or permanent residents.
HABITS
Mimids pair up to breed but do not form flocks. Nevertheless, they are very communicative birds that frequently vocalize to keep in touch with their mates or delineate territories. Primarily terrestrial in nature, Mimids forage in thick undergrowth and on the ground for arthropods and other small creatures.
CONSERVATION
Adapted to non-forest habitats, most Mimids are common birds. However due to its dependence upon sage brush, a habitat increasingly threatened by development and conversion to agriculture, the Sage Thrasher is a species of concern in many areas where it occurs.
INTERESTING FACTS
The Northern Mockingbird sings more than most other birds, mimics other birds and non-bird sounds such as car alarms, and commonly sings for several hours during the night; a trait some people find annoying, particularly when the mockingbird sings from the top of their house.