Gray Catbirds! Yup, I’m definitely a fan. In addition to being very attractive birds, they have a lot of fun calls, ranging from squeaky chirps like R2-D2 in Star Wars to the cat-like “meow” calls that give them their common name. They seem to be one of the more naturally curious birds in my area.
Birders occasionally use a trick to encourage a bird to pop out of hiding, making a series of high-pitched squeaky sounds to mimic those of a bird in distress. Catbirds are almost always the first to pop out to see what’s going on.
I’ve always loved the slight blue-purple tint to their gray and black color combination, and that rusty rump just adds to the fun. Unlike many North American birds, they actively remove or destroy eggs left in their nests by Brown-headed Cowbirds, which parasitize other birds’ nests.
