{"id":13931,"date":"2020-04-27T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=13931"},"modified":"2020-04-27T10:52:49","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T14:52:49","slug":"take-5-gray-catbirds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-gray-catbirds\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Gray Catbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spring is a wonderful time of year as we welcome the return of some of our favorite migrant birds from their wintering grounds. One such returning traveler is the Gray Catbird, whose unforgettable feline-like mewing makes it a favorite for beginning birders learning to sharpen their ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catbirds occupy the same family\u2014Mimidae, from the Latin for “mimic”\u2014as mockingbirds and thrashers and, as such, share the ability to imitate the sounds of other bird species and incorporate them into their own songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look for Gray Catbirds in dense shrubs and tangles of vines along forest edges and old fields. From a distance, they may appear to be entirely gray, but actually sport a small black cap on top of their heads and a reddish-brown patch underneath their tails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy these five photos of Gray Catbirds from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest and let us know if you’ve spotted (or heard) any catbirds in your neighborhood lately!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gray
Gray Catbird \u00a9 Richard Alvarnaz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gray
Gray Catbird \u00a9 Jonathan Eckerson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gray
Gray Catbird \u00a9 Gerry Savard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gray
Gray Catbird \u00a9 GeorgeAnn Millet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gray
Gray Catbird \u00a9 Marco Jona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring is a wonderful time of year as we welcome the return of some of our favorite migrant birds from their wintering grounds. One such returning traveler is the Gray Catbird, whose unforgettable feline-like mewing makes it a favorite for beginning birders learning to sharpen their ears. Catbirds occupy the same family\u2014Mimidae, from the Latin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":13933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[28,83,84],"class_list":["post-13931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/04\/2964Jonathan_Eckerson11001.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3CH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9172,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/invasion-of-the-fuzzy-black-caterpillar\/","url_meta":{"origin":13931,"position":0},"title":"Invasion of the Fuzzy Black Caterpillar","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've noticed a bunch small, fuzzy black caterpillars with a red stripe you're not alone. This\u00a0invasive insect, which typically hatches in May, will spin long silken threads on which it travels up and down to find foliage.\u00a0Once the caterpillars find a suitable tree (oak, birch, and apple trees are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/IMG_2156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/IMG_2156.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/IMG_2156.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8489,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bird-seed-basics\/","url_meta":{"origin":13931,"position":1},"title":"Bird Seed Basics","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Want to see birds without ever having to leave home? 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Here are a few of our favorite images of red and gray\u00a0squirrels from our Photo Contest, including the white and black varieties of the gray squirrel. Visit our website to\u00a0learn more\u00a0about these animals. 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