Catbird Behavior
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Jun 9, 2009 | by Adrian Binns
With the spring baby boom in full swing I have been watching several pairs of Gray Catbirds around their nests this last week. The eggs have hatched and I have noticed the parents exhibiting different behavior.
This is a ritual that is repeated every time either parent shows up with food near the nest. The sequence of 4 photos below illustrates this behavior.
To my eyes it seems as though it is drawing attention to itself. If that was the case then why would it do that near a nest full of young? But I am not a bird! I believe that in the avian world this visual display is showing some form of aggressive behavior meant as a warning to other birds to stay away. It is the bird’s way of letting others know who is the boss, and saying, “See me? If you mess with me, I’ll mess with you!”
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The bird is more likely teaching its young how to fly and coaxing them to fledge. The delivery of food is both the enticement to pay attention to the demonstration of the adult's use of its wings and the positive reinforcement to those developing young that choose to leave the nest.