The Catbird makes a distict "meow" call

By Al Lowe
Contributor

We have three birds which belong to the family Mimidae - the mimics. They are great singers, with a wide range of songs, including imitations of other birds, and even other sounds. The best known one is the Mockingbird, pretty scarce here in the north. The Mockingbird sings a great deal of the time - sometimes ad nauseam - and it is very much beloved in the south. The Brown Thrasher, common in much of Ontario, usually sings from the top of a tree or a pole. This one repeats everything twice, so you can tell who it is without even seeing him. The other mimic is the Catbird. It mimics lots of things, but it only says each phrase once.
If you have a home with shrubs or low trees around it, you probably also have Catbirds. They are quite plain birds, almost completely dark, slaty grey. The very top of the head is black, and the under coverts of the tail are a reddish brown. Male and female look alike.
The Catbird spends much time flitting around in the underbrush. He always seems to be in a nervous state, hopping, flying, calling with almost frenetic activity. Even if you can't see him, his voice is often a dead giveaway. A loud 'kak-kak-kak' from the low bushes is an alarm call. But the most telltale sound that this bird makes is a distinct -meow' - just like a cat - and this is what gives the Catbird its name.
The Catbird is found in Canada all the way from B.C.. To Nova Scotia, including the southern areas of northern Ontario. On the north shore of Lake Superior, maybe and maybe not.
Catbirds nest in thickets, usually quite dense ones. They build very solid nests of twigs and grass, and usually have four or five blue-green eggs. They are most industrious parents, keeping the food coming for those little ones from dawn till dusk. They are also the 'watchdogs' of the neighbourhood. At the first sight of a cat, dog, human or whatever, they set up a tremendous din, and they don't hesitate to do dive-bombing attacks, either.
Catbirds live mainly on things like grubs, worms, insects, and so on. They sometimes turn to fruit and nuts at appropriate times, but the mainstay of the diet is small animals. You can easily spot them on the lawn, picking up food in much the same way as do robins.
The Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis, is certainly one of our better singers, and one of our very few impersonators. It is a useful bird, as well as a cheery one to have around.