Sitting in the Catbird Seat

I have always heard the saying, "sitting in the catbird seat",  referring to someone who was "sitting pretty". Since I belong to the ranks of the terminally curious, I had to look up the origin of the phrase. 

From what I could discover, the saying has its origins in the American South. Apparently, since the catbird likes to sit high in the tree canopy, the catbird seat is a lofty and coveted position. It's fitting for this talented bird. 

Not only does the catbird sing its own song (resembling the meow of a cat, hence its name), but it's a very gifted mimic, belonging to the family of mimic thrushes, along with the brown thrasher and the mockingbird. So, it's a copy cat, too. 

It has another little secret, which you can only see if you manage to get a good look under its tail feathers (sadly, I couldn't get that angle in any of these pictures, so you'll have to imagine this). The catbird has a distinctive red rump. Very striking in an otherwise conservatively dressed gray bird.

If you sing "meow" to a catbird, you can often entice it closer to have a look at the odd wingless bird that seems to be trying to invade its territory. I've always liked these birds - they captured my imagination when I was a youngster. 

You never know, this rascal may have to end up in a carving just as that nuthatch did. (Grin.)