Ailuroedus melanotis

The Spotted Catbird is a member of bowerbird family, though they are monogamous and form a strong pair bond and do not build a bower.

The male and female almost identical in appearance, with a sturdy build, emerald/olive green wings, black cheeks, and olive with white tips to the throat and belly.

The catbirds feed on fruit,  and during breeding season, will take other birds eggs and young, frogs and lizards.  They breed from Sept to Dec. Both parents feed and care for the young.

The Spotted Catbird has a strange call, somewhat like a cat wailing, and the pairs will call out and respond to each other. They also have a high pitched squeak sound (you can hear it in the video below.)

The catbird is very common around the cottages, especially during the breeding season when the hunt for food becomes paramount. They will try to take as much as they can carry, and then some (see the image below). During this time I have observed the catbird taking fruit that is put out, and caching it in fork of a tree, then nipping off a nearby leaf and covering over the cache. They come back later to retrieve the food, but they will also move the cache if they see you looking!

Images of the Spotted Catbird

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Videos of the Spotted Catbird