The Gray Catbird is in the same Family of the Mockingbird. Like many members of the Family, it is an excellent mimic and will often repeat calls of other birds. When it isn’t repeating recognizable calls, it will take the time to be creative with its vocalizations. Most of the time, it can be very difficult to identify them by their call. However, their name comes from their habit of a singular call that sounds much like a cat’s “meow”. While it is far from the only sound they make, if you hear it you can be sure there is a Gray Catbird nearby.
This particular bird is a fledgling that wasn’t quite ready to fly away. It enabled me to get a bit closer to it and get such a good picture with only a phone. An adult will be mostly a smooth solid gray. On the top of their head is a black stripe while the patch of feathers under the tail is a dark rusty red color. This juvenile still has a scruffier appearance coming from its down feathers not being completely covered by contour feathers.
Crayshack 