This is a Gray Catbird. Catbirds make a mewing sound that gives them their name, but that is only a tiny part of their singing ability. Like the Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher, Catbirds mimic other birds, as well as a variety of other sounds ranging from tree frogs to rusty gates.

Their vocal ability is largely due to their syrinx. Birds do not have vocal cords as mammals do. Instead, they have a syrinx, a cartilaginous structure in the airway. Pairs of muscles attached to the syrinx allow it to change shape to produce different sounds. Different birds have different numbers of muscle pairs. Pigeons only have one, which gives them a very limited range of sounds. Catbirds have 5 to 7 pairs, and can control the two sides of the syrinx separately, letting them sing two different sounds at the same time.

While Mockingbirds and Thrashers often repeat a song several times, Gray Catbirds usually do not repeat themselves, continuing on and on with a variety of songs and sounds. They learn more songs and sounds as they hear them, so older birds can have a very long vocabulary of songs.