Two of my favorite birds like to trade places. Just about the time my little flock of snowbirds head north, my usual two pair of catbirds arrive in my yard – like clockwork, and this spring it happened again.
I hate to see the little juncos leave, but I welcome my catbirds. Catbirds, of course, are so named because of their ability to mimic the meow of a cat. Their genus name,
Ailuroedus, is Greek for “Cat singer” or Cat-voiced.”
But catbirds can really sing when they want to, with beautiful songs from high in the treetops – in the catbird’s seat, so to speak.
The Audubon folks say that catbirds are secretive but energetic, hopping and fluttering from branch to branch through tangles of vegetation. Singing males sit atop shrubs and small trees. Catbirds are reluctant to fly across open areas, preferring quick, low flights over vegetation.
Gray Catbirds love dense tangles of shrubs, small trees, and vines, along forest edges, streamside thickets, old fields, and fencerows.
But they leave in late September. By spending the winter in the south, the catbirds are not exposed to the dangerous cold of northern winters. As spring approaches, the catbirds start to become restless. Their sleep cycles change, and they start foraging for food later in the day. That’s when they come home to my yard. Looks like I’ll be needing lots of suet logs in the next few months.