The PenOpticon

Since I’ve become a casual birder (meaning I don’t put nearly enough effort into actually learning about what I’m doing), I have been amused and amazed by the calls of the Gray Catbird. This one was singing in Bindertwine Park, Kleinburg, Ontario. They really do sound like wonky, half-crazed cats, though they can imitate other birds also. This photo doesn’t show the redish, chestnut-coloured “undertail coverts”, but some students at the University of Virginia have been studying Catbirds to see if undertail colour variations help determine mate selection. It’s impressive to see these migratory birds return to the greater Toronto area year after year — even though their habit in these parts has been mostly reduced to narrow greenbelts and roadside trees and shrubs. on the other hand, according to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, Gray Catbird numbers have not changed significantly in this province over the past 100 years. Perhaps this is because the kind of habitat these birds prefer — scubby ravines, woodlot edges, etc — is precisely the kind of land that is usually unsuitable for development. So, regardless of how they choose their mates, Catbirds definitely have something to sing about.