CATBIRD (Dametella carolinensis), a North American bird of the family Troglodytidae, about 9 in. long, a summer visitor from the Gulf of Mexico, north to New Brunswick and Hudson Bay. Its plumage is slate-gray, with a black cap and tail and chestnut under tail-coverts. It is noted for its beautiful song, with much of the charm of its close relative, the mocking bird. The name expresses the mewing protest of the bird when angry. The catbird winters in the southern States, in Cuba, and from Mexico to Panama. It is resident in Bermuda.