Gray catbirds are not afraid of predators and respond to them aggressively by flashing their wings and tails and by making their signature mew sounds. When they first arrive, there are a lot of catbirds, and the city is full of their songs. There was a second Sage Thrasher in the area, apparently silent and presumably the female. Concealed from predators in its brush enclosure, the Catbird can get comfortable and sing to its heart’s content. (Albany County, New York.) ABSTRACT The gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) has been documented visiting and breaking the eggs of artificial nests, but the implications of such observations are unclear because there is little cost in depredating an undefended nest. The poet Mary Oliver has written that she played songs by Mahler to a Mockingbird and "now a little Mahler spills through the sputter of his song". The Gray Catbird is not as gifted a mimic as the Northern Mockingbird. This detailed type of field research was very limited until recently when transmitters were made small and light enough for songbirds. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995) Known Predators. Gray catbirds respond aggressively towards predators. In a study conducted in three suburbs outside Washington, D.C. forty seven percent of the deaths were connected to domestic cats. The Catbird is named for its cat-like meow call, which is given when predators are present and during aggressive encounters between birds.The Catbird's song is a long series of many phrases including imitations of other birds. In Animals, Research News, Science & Nature / 9 March 2011, Gray catbird–Dumatella carolinensis (Photos by Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org). This recording contains three short songs and one longer song (77 sec). To learn more, a team of scientists at the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center studied the gray catbird (Dumatella carolinensis) in three suburban Maryland areas outside of Washington, D.C.—Bethesda, Opal Daniels and Spring Park. Although urbanization affects wildlife, ecologists know relatively little about its effect on the productivity and survival of breeding birds. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995) Known Predators. Brown-headed cowbirds are nest parasites that often lay their eggs in gray catbird nests. DESCRIPTION: Grey Catbird has a combination of slate-grey plumage with black cap and tail, and chestnut undertail coverts. Smithsonian scientists report fledgling catbirds in suburban habitats are at their most vulnerable stage of life, with almost 80 percent killed by predators before they reach adulthood. They are also known to even attack and peck predators that come too near their nests. Gray catbirds also provide food for their predators. Urban areas cover more than 100 million acres within the continental the United States and are spreading, with an increase of 48 percent from 1982 to 2003. Songs vary widely in length from a few seconds to many minutes. They may be important in controlling gypsy moths, which eat the leaves off of trees. Rats and crows were also found to be significant suburban threats to fledgling catbirds. Key words: Dumetella carolinensis, Gray Catbird, migration, predator avoidance, stopover. They are about eight or nine inches long, and their wingspan is under a foot across. Grey Catbird Dumetella carolinensis. Their plumage is soft gray, the tops of their heads are darker gray, and the undersides of their tails are rusty red. Male has an enormous repertoire of songs -- greater than 1500. The team fitted 69 fledglings with small radio-transmitters. Most Grays weigh between one and two ounces. There comes a time in life for every bird to spread its wings and leave the nest, but for gray catbirds, that might be the beginning of the end. There comes a time in life for every bird to spread its wings and leave the nest, but for gray catbirds, that might be the beginning of the end. All rights reserved. Hear the vocalizations of the Gray Catbird. Tracking the fledglings revealed that the vast majority of young catbird deaths occurred in the first week after a bird fledged from the nest. Domestic cats were never detected during predator surveys in the third suburban study site, Bethesda. Suburban and rural. Many of the catbirds we see live far north of the city and are just stopping through during their migration. (Saratoga County, New York) Habitat: Open areas with dense shrubbery. The gray catbird can be attracted by "pishing" sounds. The Mockingbird's song is composed of phrases repeated 2-6 or occasionally more times. Within a week or two, only the birds that will stay for the whole summer are left in the area. Alarming number of fledgling, suburban catbirds fall prey to domestic cats, study finds. Scientists tracked each individual and recorded its location every other day until they died or left the study area. Males and females are nearly impossible to distinguish, and they are not sexually dimorphic in physical appearance.

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