Myra Digh, age 10, of Charlotte, No. Carolina, for her question:

Is there really a catbird?

Birds, as we know, are not very fond of cats. It seems rather odd to name a bird for one of his mortal enemies. But there is such a bird. You just might have been mistaking him for his cousin, the beloved mockingbird. But they are not exactly alike. For example, the catbird is called a cat¬ bird because he often mews just like a pussycat. The mocker does this, too, but only once in a while.  The catbird might be a permanent resident around Charlotte, North Carolina. Or in October, he may fly south to spend the winter in Florida or Louisiana, in Mexico or even way down fn Central America. He is about the same size as the mockingbird, though his tail is a little shorter.

His basic color is silky, mockingbird grey. But he does not have those little white ribbons on his shoulders, or those soft white pillows under his wings. Instead, the catbird has a rusty red patch under his tail. Watch for him, flitting among the bushes, especially when the holly berries turn red.

Often he can be heard but not seen. What gives him away is his favor¬ite mewing call, which sounds like a pussycat lost in the bushes. When it comes to real singing, the catbird is almost as great as the mockingbird. Both these cousins can imitate the songs of other birds and copy all sorts of sounds in the neighborhood.

It is strange that they should do this because no other birds sing more beautifully than the mocker or the catbird. Usually they prefer to sing their own rapturous songs after the other birds go to bed and the world is quiet. Sometimes the mockingbird wakes us up to hear a short song. But often the catbird sings like an opera star for hours, especially when the full moon shines.

Catbird parents build a rather shaggy nest in the bushes, just a few feet above the ground. They weave it from twigs and leaves and line it with rootlets and shreds of bark. Mrs. Catbird lays perhaps five blue green eggs and settles down on the ....nest to keep them warm. When they hatch, the father bird helps to gather food to feed the hungry chicks. Sometimes the parents raise two families during the summer season.

Catbirds gobble up crickets and grasshoppers, assorted beetles and many other insect pests. For dessert, they enjoy any fruit that happens to be in season. Sometimes they steal a few grapes or strawberries. But they prefer holly berries and blackberries that grow in the wild.

During the nesting season, the catbirds fly north and spread through¬out the United States and southern Canada as far west as the Rockies. They do not cross the western mountains. Some do not fly south for the winter. They are permanent residents in regions around the Gulf of Mexico and in some of the southeastern states.