Index of Species Information
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Dumetella carolinensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/bird/duca/all.html [].
Revisions:
18 July 2013: DeGraaf, Richard M.; Rudis, Deborah D. 2001 citation corrected to
DeGraaf, Richard M.; Yamasaki, Mariko. 2001.
ABBREVIATION :
DUCA
COMMON NAMES :
gray catbird
grey catbird
common catbird
northern catbird
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of gray catbird is Dumetella
carolinensis (L.). It is a member of the mimic-thrush family (Mimidae).
There are no accepted subspecies [7,34].
ORDER :
Passeriformes
CLASS :
Bird
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
The gray catbird breeds from southern British Columbia, southern
Ontario, and Nova Scotia south to central New Mexico and northern
Florida; west to northern and south-central Washington, south-central
and eastern Oregon, north-central Utah, and central and northeastern
Arizona. Its winter range extends from north-central and eastern Texas,
the central portions of the Gulf States, and Atlantic coastal lowlands
from Long Island south to the Gulf-Caribbean slope of Central America [7].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White-red-jack pine
FRES11 Spruce-fir
FRES12 Longleaf-slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly-shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak-pine
FRES15 Oak-hickory
FRES16 Oak-gum-cypress
FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood
FRES18 Maple-beech-birch
FRES19 Aspen-birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
STATES :
| AL |
AZ |
AR |
CO |
CT |
DE |
FL |
GA |
ID |
IL |
| IN |
IA |
KS |
KY |
LA |
ME |
MD |
MA |
MI |
MN |
| MS |
MO |
MT |
NE |
NH |
NJ |
NM |
NY |
NC |
ND |
| OH |
OK |
OR |
PA |
RI |
SC |
TN |
TX |
UT |
VT |
| VA |
WA |
WV |
WI |
WY |
| BC |
NS |
SK |
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K022 Great Basin pine forest
K024 Juniper steppe woodland
K032 Transition between K031 and K037
K037 Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K094 Conifer bog
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K099 Maple - basswood forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K104 Appalachian oak forest
K105 Mangrove
K106 Northern hardwoods
K110 Northeastern oak - pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
K114 Pocosin
K115 Sand pine scrub
K116 Subtropical pine forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
16 Aspen
17 Pin cherry
18 Paper birch
19 Gray birch - red maple
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
26 Sugar maple - basswood
27 Sugar maple
28 Black cherry - maple
39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
45 Pitch pine
60 Beech - sugar maple
61 River birch - sycamore
62 Silver maple - American elm
63 Cottonwood
65 Pin oak - sweetgum
69 Sand pine
70 Longleaf pine
73 Southern redcedar
75 Shortleaf pine
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
84 Slash pine
87 Sweetgum - yellow-poplar
88 Willow oak - water oak - diamondleaf oak
89 Live oak
91 Swamp chestnut oak - cherrybark oak
92 Sweetgum - willow oak
93 Sugarberry - American elm - green ash
94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
95 Black willow
96 Overcup oak - water hickory
97 Atlantic white-cedar
98 Pond pine
105 Tropical hardwoods
108 Red maple
109 Hawthorn
105 Tropical hardwoods
106 Mangrove
111 South Florida slash pine
215 Western white pine
218 Lodgepole pine
238 Western juniper
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
No entry
PLANT COMMUNITIES :
The gray catbird occurs in a wide variety of plant communities.
Physiognomy rather than cover type appears to be the dominant factor in
habitat preference; forest edge is preferred to hedgerows in the open
[18]. Riparian areas are heavily favored [6]. In the Southeast, the
heaviest breeding densities occur in sapling-poletimber stages of elm
(Ulmus spp.)-ash (Fraxinus spp.)-cottonwood (Populus spp.) types, and
the highest winter densities occur in shrub-seedling stages of maritime
live oak (Quercus virginiana) [11]. Breininger [4] reported the
presence of wintering gray catbirds in Florida swale marshes. In New
England, the gray catbird is rare at high elevations [6]. In western
North Dakota, gray catbirds forage and nest in cottonwood types [12].
In Saskatchewan, gray catbirds were observed in aspen (Populus spp.)
with shrub understory [13]. In Oregon, primary gray catbird foraging
use occurs in tall sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)/bunchgrass, squaw apple
(Peraphyllum ramosissimum)/bunchgrass, curlleaf mountain-mahogany
(Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius)/bunchgrass, curlleaf
mountain-mahogany/pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens) and other brush
communities. Primary reproductive use occurs in quaking aspen (Populus
tremuloides)/grass, quaking aspen/mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata ssp. vaseyana)/bunchgrass, and riparian areas [16].
Plant species commonly used by gray catbirds include multiflora rose
(Rosa multiflora), barberries (Berberis spp.), lilacs (Syringa spp.),
mockorange (Philadelphus spp.), osage-orange (Maclura pomifera), and
various conifers [7,25].
BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS :
Breeding Season: The gray catbird breeds from late April to mid-August,
with the peak season occurring from mid-May to mid-June [11]. The nest
is a ragged mass of sticks, weed stems, grasses, leaves, and twigs. The
cup may be lined with pine needles, rootlets, fine shreds of bark, and
horsehair [25]. In New York, eggs were laid from May 5 to June 13 [6].
In Ontario, egg dates ranged from May 2 to August 18 [19]. The gray
catbird raises two or more consecutive broods in one season [6].
Clutch Size: The average clutch size is four, but ranges from three to
five eggs [11].
Development: Eggs are incubated for 12 to 15 days [2,6]. The female is
usually the sole incubating parent and is fed by the male [2]. The
young usually remain in the nest for 11 days; the nestling stage ranges
from 9 to 15 days. The gray catbird is sexually mature at 1 year [6].
Migration: The southward migration of gray catbird begins early in the
fall, soon after the young leave the nest [15]. During one fall study
period as many as 725 gray catbirds were reported at Dauphin Island,
Alabama in a single day [39]. In the spring, males arrive on nesting
grounds prior to the females [25]. Gray catbirds were the second most
frequently captured species in the spring in a study area on the Fort
Morgan Peninsula, Alabama [39]. Banded birds usually return to the
place of banding. There is variation in the constancy of mating; some
catbird pairs raise consecutive broods in the same season and remain
paired in subsequent seasons. Other pairs raise one brood and then find
new mates, although the male appears to remain constant to a territory
[2].
Maximum longevity is 10 years [25]. Average longevity is around 2.5
years [2].
PREFERRED HABITAT :
The gray catbird uses dense thickets of shrubby edge habitat for both
nesting and foraging. Any area of dense shrubs, briars, or vines along
woodland borders appears to be suitable [7]. The habitat niche breadth
is fairly large, meaning that gray catbirds use a wide variety of
foliage densities and shrub layers. The gray catbird is also found in
dry marsh edges, roadside shrubs, abandoned fields, and fencerows [7].
Sample gray catbird densities are as follows: In New York, one nest per
8 acres (3.2 ha) (80 pairs per square mile [31/sq km]) was reported for
mixed shrub-small tree stages in beech (Fagus spp.)-maple (Acer
spp.)-hemlock (Tsuga spp.) forest [6]. In North Dakota, 40 pairs per
square mile (15 per sq km) were observed in favorable habitat [22], and
in Maryland, 80 males were counted for 100 acres (40 ha) in shrub swamp
habitat [23]. In Iowa, there was a positive relationship between gray
catbird density and sapling richness, tree size, and tree patchiness,
and a negative relationship with tree density [21].
COVER REQUIREMENTS :
The gray catbird uses dense, shrubby vegetation for all activities.
Nests are usually constructed about 5 feet (1.5 m) [6] above the ground,
with a range of 3 to 10 feet (1-3 m) above the ground in dense, leafy
shrubs or vines [7]. In Iowa riparian habitat, 72 out of 97 nests were
constructed in shrubs, 11 were found in deciduous saplings, and 14 in
deciduous trees [21].
FOOD HABITS :
The gray catbird is primarily a leaf-gleaner [36]. About half of
the diet is insects; the fleshy fruits of woody shrubs constitute most
of the remainder of the diet [7,15].
Animal foods include ants, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers, bugs,
cankerworms and other smooth caterpillars, caterpillars of gypsy moth
and brown-tailed moth, aphids, miscellaneous other insects, and spiders
[15,25].
Plant foods (fruit) include blackberries (Rubus spp.), cherries (Prunus
spp.) including chokecherry (P. virginiana), hollies (Ilex spp.),
bayberries (Myrica spp.), greenbriers (Smilax spp.), poison-ivy
(Toxicodendron spp.), buckthorns (Rhamnus spp.), tatarian honeysuckle
(Lonicera tatarica), Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense), American
elder (Sambucus canadensis), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), baneberry
(Actaea rubra), dogwoods (Cornus spp.), and buffaloberries (Shepherdia
spp.) [14,15,17,29,36,37].
PREDATORS :
Snakes are major predators on gray catbird nestlings, as are rats,
foxes, and domestic cats. Other nest molesters include common grackle
(Quiscalus quiscula), brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), and northern
cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Adult catbirds are taken by northern
harrier (Circus cyaneus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), and
long-eared owl (Asio otus) [2]. Toland [26] listed a gray catbird as a
nesting season prey item for a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Gray catbirds were rated as tolerant of habitat alteration; they do not
require a specific habitat and are able to make use of
less-highly-preferred habitat, albeit at lower densities [21].
In Pennsylvania, gray catbirds were present in clearcut stands of aspens
and oak-pine. They were observed to use the edges of stands more often
than interiors (defined as more than 83 feet [25 m] from the interface),
and preferred older stands [30]. Nongame bird densities were censused
in bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)-quaking aspen-pitch pine
(Pinus rigida), and in bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia)-dwarf chinkapin oak
(Q. prinoides)/blueberry stands that were uncut, 50 percent clearcut,
or 75 percent clearcut. Length of time since treatment was 2, 6, or 12
years. Gray catbirds were encountered more often than expected in 75
percent clearcut aspen stands and were not encountered in uncut stands
of either aspens or oaks. Within the 50 percent clearcut stands, gray
catbirds were more common in 12-year-old stands of both aspens and
oak-pine than in 2-year-old stands [32].
Stauffer and Best [21] made the following predictions about the effect of
habitat alteration on gray catbird density:
1) conversion of woody vegetation to hayfield or pasture will eliminate
gray catbird
2) reduction of woody vegetation to narrow strips along streams will
reduce gray catbird density
3) partial removal of the canopy will increase gray catbird density
4) thinning of shrub and sapling layers will reduce gray catbird density.
The authors were unable to make a prediction for the effect of partial canopy
removal with shrub thinning, since the separate treatments have opposite
effects [21].
Tall structures create a hazard to migrating gray catbirds because most
migration occurs at night [25]. Structures listed as hazards include
lighthouses and the Washington Monument [2].
Nest Parasitism: Gray catbirds are infrequent hosts to brown-headed
cowbirds. Gray catbirds will eject eggs of other species that are found
in the nest [25]. However, if a naive gray catbird is exposed to a
brown-headed cowbird egg before her own eggs are laid, she will "learn"
the cowbird egg, eject her own eggs, and rear the cowbird chick [38].
FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS :
There was no information in the literature related to fire-caused
mortality of gray catbirds. Adult birds probably easily escape fire;
nests and young are vulnerable to fire.
HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS :
In Florida, gray catbirds preferred unburned areas to recently burned
coastal scrub and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) flatwoods. Gray catbird
density increased with postfire age, from 0.1 per acre (0.25/ha) on
1-year plots to 0.6 per acre (1.5/ha) on 10-year (or older) plots [5].
Also in Florida, a 20-year-old slash pine stand was prescribed burned
with a moderate-severity fire in December, 1967. Ground cover and dead
grass litter were almost entirely consumed, most shrubs were defoliated
and burned back, and small pines were scorched; the foliage of medium
and large-sized trees was scarcely touched. In the first 5 postfire
months, there were slightly more gray catbirds in the unburned area than
in the burned area. Most of the gray catbirds observed in both burned
and unburned areas were within 100 feet (30 m) of the burned/unburned
boundary [8].
In general, fires that result in an increase in shrubby vegetation and
vines will increase available habitat for gray catbirds. Frequent fire
that reduces the shrub layer will decrease available habitat for gray
catbirds. Where fire exclusion leads to a decrease in patchiness, edge,
or shrubby vegetation, gray catbird habitat may decline.
FIRE USE :
In central Pennsylvania management of even-aged aspen stands for ruffed
grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is also suitable for gray catbirds. Management
for ruffed grouse includes the creation of brushy, edge conditions that
are favored by gray catbirds. This management often includes the use of
prescribed fire [31].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
REFERENCES
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Dumetella carolinensis
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FEIS Home Page
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