Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Gray Catbird
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Gray Catbird
Often when I’m weeding or harvesting in the garden, I hear mewing notes coming from nearby thickets. There is no mistake about the vocalizer. It’s not a cat but a catbird – specifically, a Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). Catbirds will be our neighbors all summer long. They began to arrive in late April and will begin to depart the Barrington area in September, headed for the Caribbean, southern US, and Mexico where they will spend the late fall and summer months.
Catbirds belong to the family of mimics, birds that imitate other birds’ songs and sounds, such as the Brown Thrasher and Northern Mockingbird. Of the three, the Gray Catbird’s vocalizations are the most difficult to describe. While the thrasher mimics in couplets, and the mockingbird in thrice-repeated phrases, the catbird lets forth a stream of notes and phrases that just keeps going – sometimes for as long as ten minutes. It’s easy to recognize the cat-like mew that gives the bird its name but otherwise the sounds are an aural stew, composed of imitations that only the catbird knows.
When I was living in New York, I read an entry in the weekly NY Times column “Dear Diary” by someone who thought he heard a cell phone ringing from a tree. On further investigation the writer found that it was a Gray Catbird mimicking a cell phone ring. Eminent Illinois ornithologist Robert Ridgeway wrote in his 1889 Birds of Illinois: “In [the catbird’s] performance, there is too much deliberation, and the general effect is that he is merely practicing, during which at times he gets tired of his own voice, and substitutes other sounds which he has heard. These he imitates with tolerable success, but the sounds which he most affects, as the squeal of a young pig, the squeaking of a hinge, or the squall of a cat, are harsh interruptions to a song which might otherwise be pleasing.” Apparently catbirds have added the sounds of cell phones and car alarms to their repertoire.
The catbird is handsome, though pretty much monochromatic, covered with soft gray plumage and a black cap. If the bird raises its tail, it reveals a rufous vent that gives it a splash of color. You frequently hear the Gray Catbird before you see it. Its run-on vocalization of jumbled, erratic notes, emitted from a thick tangle of vegetation, is a giveaway. While the bird may not be immediately visible, it’s usually not difficult to locate.
If you’re intrigued by the species, you can readily find it in the Barrington area – in forest preserves, parks, old fields. Its favored habitat is shrubland and forest edge (its scientific name Dumetella is derived from a word meaning “small shrub”), though you might find one in your own or a neighbor’s yard. The one requirement is dense vegetation where it can build its nest cup of twigs, straw, bark, and grass. If you hear a bird “singing” an indescribable and ever-changing variety of sounds, the Gray Catbird is probably the vocalizer. Its pep, persistence, and ever-changing vocal repertoire make it a wild summer neighbor of special character.
About Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson has lived in Barrington Hills since 1975, and has led bird walks in the area for many years. She re-established the Nature Lady program in the Barrington 220 school district and St. Anne’s in the late 70s, under the auspices of The Garden Club and Little Garden Club of Barrington. Wendy developed the education program for Citizens for Conservation, initiated and edited its newsletter, and has been an active volunteer with CFC for over 30 years.
Wendy Paulson
During interludes in New York City and Washington, DC, Wendy taught classes about birds in the public schools and is helping to develop a similar program in Chicago public schools with Openlands. She is chairman of The Bobolink Foundation, serves on the board or advisory committee of multiple conservation and bird-related organizations, both domestic and international, and is former chairman of IL and NY chapters of The Nature Conservancy.
Wendy and her husband Hank have two grown children and are avid hikers, cyclists, and kayakers.
CLICK HERE to explore all of the local bird profiles Wendy has authored in our Birds of Barrington series at 365Barrington.com.
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Harrier
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Merlin
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Spring Homecoming
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Creeper
Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Bird Walks Return for Late Summer & Fall, 2020
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-crowned Kinglet
In a bleak year, the natural world stirs hope
Barrington Christmas Bird Count Helps Map Population Trends Globally
Annual Christmas Bird Count to Reveal New Insights on Barrington Bird Population
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Field Sparrow
New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Yellowthroat
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wilson’s Snipe
New Schedule of Spring Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-breasted Merganser
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cooper’s Hawk
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Robin
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Bald Eagle
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Wood Peewee
Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Bird Hikes this Fall!
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Chimney Swift
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow Warbler
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Goldeneye
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Of Music & Mourning Doves
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Shrike
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Tale of the Turkey Vulture
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song of the Sedge Wren
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Dickcissel Discovery
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American White Pelican
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Woodcock
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Merganser
Barrington Area Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Tree Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Golden-crowned Kinglet
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue Jay
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Goldfinch
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Black-billed Cuckoo
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Thrasher
Spring Bird Spotting with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wood Duck
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-bellied Woodpecker
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | White-throated Sparrow
365. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Horned Owl
311. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Pied-billed Grebe
266. New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes With Wendy Paulson
265. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Nighthawk
235. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cedar Waxwing
200. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Indigo Bunting
164. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Scarlet Tanager
163. Stunning Photos Captured During Annual Baker’s Lake Island Rookery Bird Count
126. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Eastern Towhee
97. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Return of the Red-winged Blackbird
61. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Upside-Down Bird
60. New Season of Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Naturalist Wendy Paulson
43. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Downy Woodpecker Yawns at Dawn
13. The Ultimate Recycling Project Refreshes Heron Rookery with Christmas Trees
6. Recycled Christmas Trees Bound for Rookery Island
5. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Red-tailed Hawk
321. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Sandhill Crane
278. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
248. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Call of the Killdeer
228. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Barn Swallows Signal Autumn’s Approach
199. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Eastern Kingbird
153. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Baltimore Oriole
126. Wendy Paulson Highlights The Great Blue Heron, Barrington’s Official Town Bird
125. Hands of Hope’s 14th Annual Barrington Country Garden & Antique Faire
89. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Meadowlark, the Flautist of Prairies
66. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Cardinal
64. Barrington Spring Bird Walks with Wendy Paulson
36. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Black-Capped Chickadee
18. Christmas Trees Transported to Refresh Nests at Baker’s Lake Rookery
337. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | ‘Tis the Season for Snowbirds
279. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Bluebird
201. Fall Bird Walks Scheduled with Wendy Paulson
186. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Bobolink
116. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Egret Spotting at Baker’s Lake
84. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Finding the Northern Flicker
72. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | An Eye on the Eastern Phoebe
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