| Rangewide Distribution:
Southern Canada, northwestern to southeastern United States Abundance: Generally common, but stays hidden Breeding Habitat: Dense brush & thickets bordering woods near water Nest: Grass, forbs, twigs & leaves, lined with fine material in dense thicket Eggs: 4 blue-green, unmarked, rarely spotted with red Incubation: 12-13 days Fledging: 10-11 days |
Gray Catbirds are most numerous in shrub-sapling stage successional
habitats, shrubby margins of woodlands and shrub-dominated corridors
along fence rows and bordering streams (Stauffer and Best 1986),
and especially in riparian thickets. They also breed in hedges
and ornamental shrubs around homes in cities, towns and farms
(Zimmerman 1963).
Because they tend to remain hidden in shrubby cover, Gray Catbirds are best detected by their "mews" and soft "conversations." Vocalization frequency varies seasonally. They are often quiet while raising young, and are most vocal at dawn or dusk. They tend to remain near nest sites enabling Atlasers to observe territorial behavior, mated pairs and other nesting activities. They presumably nested in most blocks in which they were observed.
Gray Catbirds were densely distributed across the northern two-thirds of the state becoming progressively scarcer to the south. They were recorded in fewer than half the blocks in the most southern counties. This diminished frequency in southern Missouri was surprising as catbirds are common breeders throughout Arkansas (James and Neal 1986).
 Average Number of Birds / 100 stops |
During most springs, Gray Catbirds are not seen until mid-April in the south and about a week later in the north (Robbins and Easterla 1992). Nesting is apparently initiated in late April. Gray Catbirds often raise two or three broods (Cimprich and Moore 1995). The late dates for nest building and a nest with young likely indicated second broods.
Brown-headed Cowbirds parasitized two of 28 nests in which contents were observed. Cimprich and Moore (1995) reported that Gray Catbirds recognize and remove Brown-headed Cowbird Eggs:; therefore, this species is parasitized less often than other common birds.
| Breeding Phenology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence (# of Records) | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NB (20) | 5/12 | 7/15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NE (17) | 5/06 | 6/28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NY (13) | 5/29 | 7/22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY (49) | 5/06 | 8/17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reported in 891 (73.8%) of 1,207 blocks
| Blocks | % of Blocks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | 178 | 20.0% | |
| Probable | 351 | 39.4% | |
| Possible | 362 | 40.6% |
Home|Lists of Illustrations and Tables|Preface|Acknowledgments|Introduction|The Natural Divisions of Missouri|Guide to Species Accounts|Index of Bird Accounts|Appendix A.|Appendix B.|Appendix C.|Appendix D.|Appendix E.|Literature Cited
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