Catbird, common name for two American songbirds of the mockingbird family,
the black catbird of Yucatán (Melanoptila glabrirostris), and the
gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). The gray catbird is about
23 cm (about 9 in) long and is slate gray except for a black crown and
tail and a chestnut-colored region under the tail. The name refers to the
bird's cat like call, although both species have large vocabularies.
Return
to list