The green catbird is a species of bowerbird found in subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It is named after its distinctive call which sounds like a cat meowing, although it has also been mistaken for a crying child. The green catbird resembles the spotted catbird, which is found in wet tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland.
Region
Eastern Australia
Typical Environment
Occupies subtropical and warm-temperate rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests with a dense understory, and vine thickets along the east coast of Australia. It favors mature forests with abundant fruiting trees such as figs and lilly-pillies, but also uses regrowth and riparian gullies. Birds sometimes venture to forest edges and shaded gardens near rainforest remnants. The species is largely sedentary, moving locally with fruit availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A member of the bowerbird family, the green catbird is unusual because it does not build a bower; instead, it forms long-term monogamous pairs that share nesting duties. Its loud, cat-like wail is often mistaken for a meowing cat or even a crying child. Pairs maintain and defend territories year-round in dense coastal and montane forests.
Illustration by Richard Bowdler Sharpe
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense cover
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in bonded pairs that hold permanent territories. Unlike most bowerbirds, pairs cooperate in nesting and chick-rearing. The nest is a bulky bowl of twigs placed in dense vegetation; clutches usually contain 2–3 eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The call is a loud, drawn-out, feline wail followed by harsh squawks and grating notes. It also gives chattering and whistle-like calls during pair communication, especially at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Glossy green upperparts with fine pale spotting and scalloping; paler green to whitish underparts heavily spangled with white spots; wings and tail darker green with subtle barring.
Diet
Primarily eats fruit, especially native figs, lilly-pillies, and other rainforest drupes and berries. It supplements its diet with flowers, buds, and young leaves. Opportunistically takes insects and other small invertebrates, and may occasionally prey on small vertebrates or eggs.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid-story to canopy of rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests, often at fruiting trees. Will also feed along forest edges and in large, well-vegetated gardens adjoining rainforest remnants.
