Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
Near Philadelphia.
A member of the family Mimidae, or mimics, this shy, friendly, neighborly bird has a call that sounds like a kitten. The genus name Dumetella translates roughly as “thorn thicket dweller.” When we add the species specification, carolinensis, we have “Thorn thicket dweller from Carolina”—arguably as attractive a name as “Catbird.” And of course, as some of the actual cats in Carolina do dwell in thorny thickets themselves … much potential for confusion ensues.