Dumetella carolinensis

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Physical Description

Family Sturnidae:

A Family of medium-sized passerine birds with strong feet, strong direct flight, and a preference for open country. They are gregarious and omnivorous, often preferring insects and fruit. Most have dark plumage with a metallic sheen.

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America

Habitat

Vegetation: tropical lowland evergreen forest, tropical lowland evergreen forest, second-growth forests and woodlands, arid lowland scrubs, second-growth scrub • Minimum Elevation: 0 meters • Maximum Elevation: 1,800 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low.

Diet

Mostly:

Fruit

Lesser Quantities of: Insects

Reproduction

• Breeding Habitat: Successional-scrub
• Nest Location: Ground-low nesting
• Nest Type: Open-cup
• Clutch Size: 3-5
• Length of Incubation: 12-13 days
• Days to Fledge: 10-11
• Number of Broods: 2

Migration

Migratory

Song/Voice

Dumetella carolinensis
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 18, 1997 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Song Sparrow.
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 18, 1997 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Blue Jay
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: June 18, 1997 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Carolina wren
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Towhee
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Imitating a Wood Thrush
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Meow
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Similar Species

The plumage and call of the catbird are quite distinctive.

Three species of mimids to compare: Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, and Gray Catbird. All sound similar, but are easily distinguished. Thrashers generally repeat phrases twice, then move on to the next phrase. Mockingbirds repeat phrases 3-7 times before moving on to the next phrase, while catbirds do not generally repeat phrases.

Members of the genus Dumetella:

There are approximately 3 species and subspecies in this genus: D. carolinenses · D. carolinensis (Gray Catbird) · D. glabrirostris

Bibliography

• Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner 1987. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada. Resource Publication, no. 166. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C., USA. 79.
• Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
• Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 4, 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 03, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 15 providers.
• Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
• Pippen, Jeffrey S. Jeff's Nature Page. Accessed December 2, 2007.
• Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
• Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 03, 2008:

• Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
• Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
• Avian Knowledge Network: Macaulay Library - Video Data
• Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
• Bird Studies Canada: Marsh Monitoring Program - Birds
• Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 1981-1985
• Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 2001-2005
• Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum
• Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
• Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Bird Collection
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum: NBM birds
• Royal Ontario Museum: Bird specimens
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• The New York Botanical Garden: Bronx River Bioblitz
• UCLA-Dickey Bird Collection (UCLA-Dickey): Bird specimens
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM: CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
• University of Colorado Museum: Zoological specimens
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 178625
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 240099
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABPBK01010
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 11770