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Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae Chick Type: Altricial Gray Catbirds are found from the eastern half to the northwestern parts of the U.S. They winter in the Gulf Coast states and into Central America. Habitat consists of woodlands, fields, scrublands, urban and suburban areas. Catbirds make cup type nests in trees and scrubs. They lay between two to five turquoise green colored eggs. Only the female incubates the eggs, but both parents help in raising the young. Incubation time is around two weeks and the chicks will fledge after 10 days. Like many songbird species, Catbirds are parasitized by nest predators such as Brown-headed Cowbirds. Fortunately for them, they have evolved to actively detect & remove cowbird eggs from their nests. Their diet consists of insects, small vertebrates, bird eggs, fruits and berries. Catbirds have calls that are very similar to a cat's meow. They also can imitate calls of other bird species, such as hawks and quails. Unlike many species of birds, Catbirds do well in human modified landscapes. They are often found in fragmented and edge habitats. Their broad diet and habitat preferences and defence against nest parasitism has lead to a fairly stable population. |
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