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23

Green Catbird

(Ailuroedus crassirostris)
Aboriginal name(s): "jigay"/"jihgay"/"jigaybil" [bundjalung]
Size: 24-33 cm
Weight: 165-270 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Green Catbird at Wikipedia .

Click here for classification information

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "crassirostris"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Green Catbird (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Glenning Valley, NSW, October 2011]

Frontal view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooroy, QLD, December 2017]

Near-frontal view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Mt. Tamborine, QLD, August 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Green Catbird
[Dorrigo NP, NSW, July 2009]

Lateral view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooroy, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, April 2013]

Lateral view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, June 2016]

Different lateral view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Mt. Tamborine, QLD, August 2013]

Dorsal view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooroy, QLD, December 2017]

Dorsal view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Mt. Tamborine, QLD, August 2013]

Different dorsal view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Mt. Tamborine, QLD, August 2013]

Ventral view of a Green Catbird (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, April 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary/roaming Elementary unit: Solitary

As opposed to other species of bowerbirds, male Green Catbirds do NOT build bowers (i.e. courting displays to attract females).

Male birds are sedentary, females are roaming.

Green Catbird basking in the sun (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Royal NP, NSW, January 2017]

Food, Diet

Green Catbird with its bill stuffed with fruit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cooroy, QLD, December 2017]

Green Catbird foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Royal NP, NSW, October 2016]

Green Catbird feeding on the core of an apple (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Royal NP, NSW, October 2016]

Green Catbird taking fruit from a bird feeder; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 6 October 2020
(photo courtesy of T. Froia Drummond)
[Pomona, Sunshine Coast, QLD, October 2020]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Twitcher's tip

Apart from the characteristic cat-like call giving them their name, Green Catbirds also use a very high-pitched short chirping call unusual for a bird this tall (about the same size as a Satin Bowerbird).

grncatb_20170608.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Contact calls © MD
grncatb_20140522.mp3 crassirostris
(NE NSW)
Contact calls © MD
grncatb_tfd_20201006.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Contact calls © TFD
grncatb_art_20131125.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Territorial calls(?) © ART
grncatb_tfd_20220831.mp3 crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Territorial calls(?) © TFD
grncatb_art_20131125_2.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Territorial calls(?) © ART
grncatb_20160314_3.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Territorial call(?) © MD
grncatb_20160314_2.m4a crassirostris
(SE QLD)
Territorial call(?) Q&A © MD

More Green Catbird sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.