Familiar and conspicuous throughout Southern and Eastern North America. Adult is gray overall with whitish underparts, gray upperparts, blackish wings and tail, two narrow white wing bars, relatively long tail, white undertail coverts, thin black eye line, and slender black bill. Adult eye color ranges from yellow to dark brownish orange and rarely whitish. Juveniles have gray to greenish-gray colored eyes. Juveniles also have brownish speckles (spots and streaks) on breast and light brown streaks on the mantle. In flight, note large white patches in wings and white outer tail feathers. Sexes are similar. Posture is often alert, with long tail held parallel to ground.

Length: 25 (cm) Wingspan: 36 (cm)

Voice:

Raspy, rollicking, musical phrases, often imitating other birds. Each phrase repeated several times. Call note harsh and loud chack or shack. Regularly sings at night.

Habitat:

Suburbs, parks, gardens, farmland, agricultural areas, open woodlands with dense shrubs.

Behavior:

Common in backyards and gardens; often seen in or near dense shrubs, or singing loudly from conspicuous perch. Nest is a ragged cup of twigs lined with soft materials, in branches of a shrub or tree.

Feeding:

Forages at all levels of canopy, often on ground; eats a variety of insects, small animals, fruit, and human scraps. Occasionally visits bird feeders.