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Gray Catbird Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: We live across the street from the Big Sioux Recreation Area in Brandon, South Dakota, and there's nothing I love more than walking through the park in May. That's generally the peak of songbird migration, and when summer residents arrive and set up shop in the park. That includes plenty of Gray Catbirds! They seem to really like the sumac bushes in the early spring, and I love this photo because it typifies where I see them, and also very clearly shows their trademark identifying features (black cap, rusty colored undertail).

Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 

Gray Catbird 1 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 2 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 3 - Dumetella carolinensis 

Gray Catbird 4 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 1

Gray Catbird 2

Gray Catbird 3

Gray Catbird 4

July 23rd, 2006 

May 15th, 2005 

July 3rd, 2017

May 15th, 2005 

Beaver Creek Nature Area, South Dakota 

Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Minnehaha County, South Dakota 

Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Profile of partially shaded bird in summer 

Spring catbird in profile, showing rusty rump 

Catbird perched on a dead tree branch 

Fluffed up catbird on a cold morning 

Gray Catbird 5 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 6 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 7 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 8 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 5

Gray Catbird 6

Gray Catbird 7

Gray Catbird 8

July 18th, 2005

May 27th, 2008 

May 27th, 2008 

May 21st, 2008

Minnehaha County, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Inquisitive catbird on a tree branch 

Catbird sitting on a blooming sumac 

Catbird profile on sumac, showing chestnut rump 

Vertical of catbird on a tree branch 

Gray Catbird 9 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 10 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 11 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 12 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 9

Gray Catbird 10

Gray Catbird 11

Gray Catbird 12

July 20th, 2008 

May 21st, 2009 

July 2009 

July 2009

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Catbird perched on a fallen log

Bird perched on top of a blooming sumac 

Vertical of catbird clinging to a branch 

Singing catbird on a tree branch 

Gray Catbird 13 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 14 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 15 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 16 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 13

Gray Catbird 14

Gray Catbird 15

Gray Catbird 16

May 2011 

May 17th, 2011

May 17th, 2011

May 22nd, 2011

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota 

Sumac in morning sun on a sumac bush 

Vertical of a catbird on a sumac bush 

And again, a catbird on sumac. Starting to think they like sumac. :-) 

Profile of a catbird on a tree branch 

Gray Catbird 17 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 18 - Dumetella carolinensis 

Gray Catbird 19 - Dumetella carolinensis 

Gray Catbird 20 - Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird 17

Gray Catbird 18

Gray Catbird 19

Gray Catbird 20

May 15th, 2014 

May 21st, 2020 

May 13th, 2017 

May 6th, 2020 

Brandon, South Dakota 

Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota 

Brandon, South Dakota 

Gray Catbird in a crabapple tree

Catbird posing on a wooden fence 

Catbird on a budding tree in the spring 

Catbird perched on a slab of Sioux quartzite 

Click here for the species description page for the Gray Catbird

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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl