Grey catbird

Gray catbird; Temporal range: Late Pleistocene – present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Adult in Brooklyn, New York, USA; ;
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Mimidae
Genus:	Dumetella; C.T. Wood, 1837
Species:	D. carolinensis
Binomial name
	Dumetella carolinensis; (Carl Linnaeus, 1766)
	Approximate distribution map Breeding Migration Year-round Nonbreeding

The Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), (also spelled grey catbird), is a medium sized North American and Central American bird. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus Dumetella. It is the basal lineages of the Mockingbird family, closely related to the thrasher and tremblers then the mockingbirds.^[2] In some areas it is known as the slate-colored mockingbird.^[3]

Behavior

Breeding

Their breeding habitat is somewhat open areas with thick, low plants; they are also found in cites, and neighborhoods. These birds mainly look for food on the ground in leaf piles, but also in shrubs and trees. They mainly eat arthropods and berries. In the winter they eat more fruit.^[4]

They build a bulky cup nest in a shrub or tree, close to the ground. Eggs are light blue in color. They lay about 1 to 5 eggs, with 2 to 3 eggs being the most common. Both parents take turns feeding the young birds.

Feeding

Gray catbirds are omnivores (eat animals and plants),^[5] and about 50% of their diet is fruit and berries. They also eat worms, beetles, and other bugs. In summer, gray catbirds will eat mostly ants, beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and moths. They also eat berries from holly, cherries, elderberries, poison ivy, and blackberries. They also peck at the eggs of other birds, but it is unknown if they do this to eat the eggs or just to get rid of them.