Species guide
Gray Catbird: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe, North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Braxton L. · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Dumetella carolinensis
- Family
- Mockingbirds and Thrashers
- Size
- About 20–24 cm
- Habitat
- Dense thickets, hedges and gardens
- Found in
- Europe, North America and South America
The key marks
Slate-grey all over with a black cap and a rusty patch under the tail.
Voice
A cat-like mew and a jumbled mix of mimicked notes.
Good to know
It is named for its cat-like “mew” call and also mimics other birds’ songs.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in dense thickets, hedges and gardens. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.