Dumetella carolinensis
Order Passeriformes
Family Mimidae
Adult.— Entire body slaty gray, except the head and tail, which are black; feathers under base of tail chestnut.
Nest, of sticks, in a thick bush.
Eggs, glossy greenish-blue.
The Catbird is a common summer resident of New England and New York, except in the mountainous northern portions, though it is found along large streams even in northern Maine. It arrives in May and lingers into October. It frequents shrubbery and thickets, especially the tangles of vines and bushes near water. It is fond of fruit, and may often be seen in midsummer with a raspberry in its bill. Its ordinary call-note, from which it gets its name, is familiar; it is, perhaps, more snarling than a cat’s mew. It utters, besides, a mellow chuck, and occasionally a grating chatter, kak kak kak. Its song is very similar to that of the Thrasher, but it is not so vigorous, and though it undoubtedly does contain fine passages, it is marred by the constant introduction of harsh phrases. When singing, the Catbird often sits on some high spray, with tail depressed; when it hops along the ground or on a fence, the tail is either cocked at an angle or thrown jauntily from side to side. The bird always has an alert, saucy air.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)