{{Short description|Species of songbird}} {{Good article}} {{Speciesbox | image = Melanoptila_glabrirostris_on_Ambergris_Caye_20120125_by_sbachman725.JPG | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name = "IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2023 |title=''Melanoptila glabrirostris'' |article-number=e.T22711017A179783886 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22711017A179783886.en}}</ref> | parent_authority = P.L. Sclater, 1858 | taxon = Melanoptila glabrirostris | authority = P.L. Sclater, 1858 | synonyms = * ''Turdus glabrirostris'' <small>Gray, 1869</small><ref name = "Ridgway215"/> | range_map = Melanoptila glabrirostris map.svg }}
The '''black catbird''' ('''''Melanoptila glabrirostris''''') is a songbird species in the monotypic genus '''''Melanoptila''''', part of the family Mimidae. At {{convert|19|–|20.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|31.6|–|42|g|oz|abbr=on}} in mass, it is the smallest of the mimids. Sexes appear similar, with glossy black plumage, black legs and bill, and dark brownish eyes. The species is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula, and is found as far south as Campeche, northern Guatemala and northern Belize. Although there are historical records from Honduras and the US state of Texas, the species is not now known to occur in either location. It is found at low elevations in semi-arid to humid habitats ranging from shrubland and abandoned farmland to woodland with thick understory, and is primarily sedentary.
Although it is a mimid, the black catbird is not known to imitate any other species. Its song is a mix of harsh notes and clear flute-like whistles, with the phrases repeated. It builds a cup nest in low bushes or trees, and lays two bluish eggs. It is threatened by habitat loss, and has been assessed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
==Taxonomy== When Philip Sclater first described the black catbird in 1858, from a specimen collected in Omoa Honduras, he assigned it to the monotypic genus ''Melanoptila'', which he created at the same time.<ref name = "Ridgway214"/> At least one subsequent ornithologist assigned the species to the genus ''Turdus'', believing it to be a thrush, but most agreed with Sclater's assessment.<ref name = "Ridgway214"/> DNA studies have since shown that it is most closely related to various endemic mimids of the Antilles and the gray catbird,<ref name = "Hunt"/> and it is sometimes included with the latter species in the genus ''Dumetella''.<ref name = "HBW479"/> Although some taxonomists place the birds from Mexico's Cozumel Island in a separate subspecies (''M. g. cozumelana''), most authorities do not feel that such distinction is warranted and the species is generally regarded as monotypic throughout its range.<ref name = "HBW479"/>
The genus name ''Melanoptila'' is a compound word created from two Greek words: {{Transliteration|grc|melas}}, meaning "black" and {{Transliteration|grc|ptilon}}, meaning "plumage".<ref name = "Jobling248"/> This and the "black" of the bird's common name are a straightforward reference to its general appearance. The species name {{lang|la|glabrirostris}} is a combination of two Latin words: {{lang|la|glaber}}, meaning "smooth or hairless" and {{lang|la|rostrum}}, meaning "beak".<ref name = "Jobling173"/> This is a reference to the very small rictal bristles which surround the black catbird's beak, in marked comparison to the prominent bristles found on the gray catbird.<ref name = "Brewer"/>
==Description== [[File:Black_Catbird_(6907342651).jpg|thumb|right|The adult's plumage shows a purplish or greenish sheen.]] At {{convert|19|–|20.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|31.6|–|42|g|oz|abbr=on}} in mass, the black catbird is the smallest of the mimids.<ref name = "HBW479"/>{{#tag:ref|By convention, length is measured from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail on a dead bird (or skin) laid on its back.<ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: Birds of the Western Palearctic, Volume 1, Ostrich to Ducks |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-19-857358-6 |editor=Cramp, Stanley |page=3}}</ref>|group="nb"}} It has short, rounded wings and a relatively long tail. The sexes are similar in appearance, though the male tends to be heavier.<ref name = "HBW479"/> The plumage is glossy black with a purplish sheen overall, though the rectrices and primary and secondary coverts have a greenish sheen and the remiges are a duller blackish-brown color showing reduced sheen. The female is less glossy than the male,<ref name = "Brewer"/> and juveniles are brownish-gray with mottling below.<ref name = "HBW479"/> The legs are black. The bill, which is black and shorter than the head, has a generally straight culmen, decurved toward the tip.<ref name = "Brewer"/> The iris is a dark reddish color in adults and gray in juveniles.<ref name = "HBW479"/>
===Similar species=== Although the black catbird is unlikely to be mistaken for any other mimid species, there are several other black birds — including the melodious blackbird, the bronzed cowbird and the giant cowbird — that occur within the same range and might conceivably cause confusion.<ref name = "Brewer"/> All are birds of more open habitats. The melodious blackbird is larger and longer tailed; it has dark eyes and a stocky bill with an evenly curved culmen.<ref name = "Jaramillo329"/> The bronzed cowbird is thicker necked than is the catbird and has a bronzy, rather than purplish or greenish gloss to its plumage; its eye is bright red rather than dark red.<ref name = "Jaramillo375"/> The giant cowbird is considerably larger, and is relatively longer tailed and thicker necked than is the catbird.<ref name = "Jaramillo371"/>
==Distribution and habitat== The black catbird is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula. It occurs as far south as the Mexican state of Campeche, northern Guatemala and northern Belize,<ref name = "HBW479"/> and is found on the offshore islands of Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef.<ref name = "Brewer"/> Although the type specimen of the bird was apparently collected in northwestern Honduras in 1855 or 1856, it has not been recorded in that country since, and must have been rare if it was ever there.<ref name = "HBW479"/> Some authors feel that the specimen might have been mislabeled, and have come instead from northwestern "British Honduras" as Belize was then called.<ref name = "Brewer"/> There is also a single specimen of a black catbird collected from Brownsville, Texas in 1892.<ref name = "TOS"/> Although obtained by a reportedly reputable collector, and accepted by the Texas State Records Committee, the origin of this specimen is a source of some controversy, and it has not been accepted by the American Birding Association or the American Ornithologists' Union.<ref name = "Dunn"/>
The species is found at low elevations in semi-arid to humid areas in habitats ranging from scrubland and abandoned farmland to wood edge.<ref name = "HBW479"/><ref name = "Brewer"/> It prefers areas with dense thickets, scrub or understory, and is uncommon in taller forest where the vegetation beneath the canopy is more open.<ref name = "HBW479"/> Although it is largely sedentary, there may be some localized seasonal movements away from the drier northern parts of the Yucatán Peninsula in late summer to early winter.<ref name = "HBW479"/>
==Behavior== {{birdsong|species=Black catbird|url=https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Melanoptila-glabrirostris}} thumb|right|The black catbird favors areas with dense thickets, scrub or understory.
===Voice=== Unlike many of its fellow mimids, the black catbird is not known to imitate any other species. Its song consists of repeated phrases of notes ranging from harsh and scratchy to warbled and flute-like,<ref name = "HBW479"/> often interspersed with metallic clicking buzzes.<ref name = "Brewer"/> It often sings from exposed perches.<ref name = "Brewer"/> It has a variety of calls, including some which are quite similar to those of the gray catbird;<ref name = "Brewer"/> these are variously described as a harsh {{Not a typo|''rriah''}}, a nasal {{Not a typo|''chrrh''}} and a grating {{Not a typo|''tcheeu''}}.<ref name = "HBW479"/>
===Food and feeding=== Although no specific studies have been done on the black catbird's feeding ecology, it is thought to be an omnivore, like its close relatives are.<ref name = "Brewer"/> It is known to eat the fruits of ''Bursera simaruba'' and ''Ficus cotinifolia'', two deciduous trees found in the Neotropics.<ref name = "Scott"/>
===Breeding=== Little is known about the breeding biology of the black catbird. Its breeding season appears to run from spring through summer; nest building was observed in Belize in early May, and small young were found in a nest in Mexico in mid-August.<ref name = "HBW479"/> The nest, an open cup of twigs lined with rootlets and other fine material, is placed low in a dense bush or small tree.<ref name = "HBW479"/><ref name = "Brewer"/> The female lays two greenish-blue eggs.<ref name = "HBW479"/> However, details of nest-building, incubation times, parental care, fledging periods and number of broods are unknown.<ref name = "Brewer"/>
==Conservation and threats== The range of the black catbird is small and dwindling further due to habitat loss. In 2008, the world population was estimated to be less than 50,000 and decreasing. Despite steep declines in some areas, (reported to have been "precipitous" on Caye Caulker between 2003 and 2008, for instance) and continuing declines overall, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reassessed the species from near threatened to least concern in 2022.<ref name = "IUCN"/> The late 20th century arrival of the shiny cowbird, a brood parasite, into the Yucatán may cause problems for the black catbird as (based on past host choices) the catbird may become a target of the cowbird.<ref name = "Kluza"/>
==Note== <references group="nb"/>
==References== {{Reflist | refs =
<ref name = "Brewer">{{cite book | title = Wrens, Dippers and Thrashers | first = David | last = Brewer | page = 209 | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London, UK | year = 2010 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-r35SXfm9BYC&pg=PA209 | isbn = 978-1-8734-0395-2 }}</ref>
<ref name = "Dunn">{{cite journal | title = Review: The TOS Handbook of Texas Birds | first = Jon | last = Dunn | journal = Wilson Bulletin | volume = 116 | issue = 4 | pages = 366–367 | date = 2004 | doi=10.1676/0043-5643(2004)116[0366:TTHOTB]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=4164705| s2cid = 85725129 }}</ref>
<ref name = "HBW479">Cody (2005), p. 479.</ref>
<ref name = "Hunt">{{ cite journal | journal = The Auk | title = Molecular systematics and biogeology of Antillean thrashers, tremblers and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae) | first1 = Jeffrey S. | last1 = Hunt | first2 = Eldridge | last2 = Bermingham | first3 = Robert E. | last3 = Ricklefs | year = 2001 | url = https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v118n01/p00035-p00055.pdf | access-date = 9 August 2014 | volume = 118 | issue = 1 | pages = 35–55 |jstor=4089757 |doi=10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0035:MSABOA]2.0.CO;2 | s2cid = 51797284 }}</ref>
<ref name = "Jaramillo329">Jaramillo & Burke (1999), p. 329.</ref> <ref name = "Jaramillo371">Jaramillo & Burke (1999), p. 371.</ref> <ref name = "Jaramillo375">Jaramillo & Burke (1999), p. 375.</ref>
<ref name = "Jobling173">Jobling (2010), p. 173.</ref> <ref name = "Jobling248">Jobling (2010), p. 248.</ref>
<ref name = "Kluza">{{ cite journal | title = First Record of Shiny Cowbird (''Molothrus bonariensis'') in Yucatán, Mexico | url = https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v110n03/p0429-p0430.pdf | journal = Wilson Bulletin|jstor=4163974 | volume = 110 | issue = 3 | pages = 429–430 | first = Daniel A. | last = Kluza | date = September 1998 | access-date = 10 August 2014 }}</ref>
<ref name = "Ridgway214">Ridgway & Friedmann (1901), p. 214.</ref> <ref name = "Ridgway215">Ridgway & Friedmann (1901), p. 215.</ref>
<ref name = "Scott">{{ cite journal | title = Avian Consumers of Bursera, Ficus, and Ehretia Fruit in Yucatan | first1 = Peter E. | last1 = Scott | first2 = Robert F. | last2 = Martin | journal = Biotropica | volume = 16 | issue = 4 | pages = 319–323 | date = December 1984 | jstor=2387943 | doi = 10.2307/2387943| bibcode = 1984Biotr..16..319S }}</ref>
<ref name = "TOS">{{ cite book | title = The TOS Handbook of Texas Birds | first1 = Mark | last1 = Lockwood | first2 = Brush | last2 = Freedom | publisher = Texas A & M University Press | location = College Station, TX, US | year = 2004 | isbn = 1-58544-284-4 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Zvj31yQwNoAC&pg=PA162 | page = 162}}</ref>
}}
===Cited texts=== *{{cite book | title = Handbook of Birds of the World: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes | volume = 10 | location = Barcelona, Spain | publisher = Lynx Edicions | editor-first = Josep | editor-last = del Hoyo | editor2-first = Andrew | editor2-last = Elliott | editor3-first = David | editor3-last = Christie | isbn = 84-87334-72-5 | first = M. L. | last = Cody | chapter = Family Mimidae (Mockingbirds and Thrashers) | year = 2005 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/448 448–495] | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/448 }} * {{ cite book | title = New World Blackbirds | first1 = Alvaro | last1 = Jaramillo | first2 = Peter | last2 = Burke | location = London, UK | publisher = Christopher Helm | year = 1999 | isbn = 0-7136-4333-1 }} * {{cite book | title = The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Names | url = https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | first = James A. | last = Jobling | year = 2010 | location = London, UK | publisher = Christopher Helm | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4}} * {{cite book | title=The Birds of North and Middle America | first1=Robert | last1=Ridgway | first2=Herbert | last2=Friedmann | year=1901 | publisher=Government Publishing Office | location=Washington, D.C. | isbn=978-0-598-37032-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aeI-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA213 }}
==External links== *[http://vireo.ansp.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Scientific&KEYWORDS=melanoptila+glabrirostris&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=99 Black catbird photos] on the Academy of Natural Sciences' Visual Resources for Ornithology website *[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/black-catbird-melanoptila-glabrirostris Black catbird photos and videos] on the Internet Bird Collection website *[http://macaulaylibrary.org/search?taxon=black%20catbird&taxon_id=12008937&taxon_rank_id=67 Black catbird vocalizations] on the Macauley Library's (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology) website *[https://sites.google.com/site/joshlapergola/home/master-s-research-black-catbird Social ecology and mating system of the Black Catbird (''Melanoptila glabrirostris'') — Master's degree research by Josh LaPergola]
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Category:Mimidae Category:Catbirds Category:Birds of Belize Category:Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula Category:Birds described in 1858 Category:Taxa named by Philip Sclater Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot