catbird

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   An American passerine bird of the genera Dumetella and Melanoptila.

   • The catbird’s note exactly resembles the voice of a kitten, that a stranger to it would instantly conclude that such an animal "had got bewildered in the branches".
   • I recall a catbird high in the water oak above, swinging like a rag amid the branches, jabbering and screeching [...].
2. 2

   Any of four species of Australasian bowerbirds of the genera Ailuroedus and Scenopoeetes.

   • The cat bird had a forlorn cry, like a whimpering child or the animal it is named for.
3. 3

   A babbler-like bird from eastern Africa, Parophasma galinieri.

The neighborhood

• neighborDumetella carolinensis
• neighborMelanoptila glabrirostris
• neighborAiluroedus
• neighborScenopoeetes
• neighborParophasma galinieri