Saskatchewan Birds – Oiseaux in the Land of Living Skies – Post #9
Saskatchewan’s slogan, “The Land of Living Skies” could refer as much to its magnificent birdlife as it does to its awe-inspiring Northern Lights and spectacular thunderstorms experienced there. This centrally located Canadian Province’s “Land of Living Skies” is home to over 400 recorded oiseaux (Fr. bird) species. Using my personal photographs in a blog post format, viewers will learn about the natural history and conservation status of these interesting birds in the Land of Living Skies!
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Grey Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
Name Roots: (L. dumus, “a thorn bush”; -ella, dim. suffix – of Carolina)
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Gray Catbird is a medium-sized songbird with a long tail and a rounded head. It has a slate-gray body and black cap. The undertail coverts are rust-colored, and the bill is black. The bird’s most distinctive feature is its call, which sounds like a cat’s meow.
DISTRIBUTION & OCCURENCE IN THE LAND OF LIVING SKIES
Gray Catbirds usually avoid dense, unbroken woodlands and do not inhabit coniferous or pine woodland. They prefer a dense vegetative substrate. Scrublands, woodland edges, overgrown farmland, and abandoned orchards are generally among the preferred locations of these birds.
eBird Bar Charts & Map Grid
CONSERVATION STATUS – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Category
The Gray Catbird is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Redlist Classification Justification: This species has an extremely large range, the population trend appears to be stable, and the population size is extremely large. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Reflections of the Natural World 
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