Yellow-breasted Chat
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a large songbird
, formerly considered the most atypical member of the New World warbler
family, though the long-standing suspicion is that it does not actually belong there. Its placement is not definitely resolved. It is the only member of the genus Icteria. Found throughout North America
, from southern-plains
Canada
to central Mexico
during the summer, these birds mainly migrate
to Mexico and Central America
, although some of their number may overwinter in coastal areas.
Yellow-breasted Chats are noticeably larger than all other warblers, reaching a length of 7.5 in (19.1 cm) and a wingspan of 9.75 in (24.8 cm). These birds have olive upperparts with white bellies and yellow throats and breasts; they also have long tails, thick heavy bills
, large white eye-rings, and dark legs.
The breeding habitats of this species are dense, brushy areas and hedgerows. The nests of these birds are cup-shaped, and are placed in thick shrubs. These birds eat insect
s and berries, and will forage
in dense vegetation, occasionally gripping food with their feet.
The song of this bird is an odd, variable mixture of cackles, clucks, whistles and hoots. Their calls are harsh chaks. Unlike most warblers, this species has been known to mimic
the calls of other birds. This bird is somewhat secretive, but will usually sing from exposed locations.
Yellow-breasted Chats are declining in eastern North America
due to habitat loss, which is caused primarily from deforestation
and urban development. This species is particularly vulnerable to brood parasitism
from Brown-headed Cowbird
s that have taken advantage of the fragmentation of Eastern forest
s to expand their range in the last century.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
, formerly considered the most atypical member of the New World warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
family, though the long-standing suspicion is that it does not actually belong there. Its placement is not definitely resolved. It is the only member of the genus Icteria. Found throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from southern-plains
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
during the summer, these birds mainly migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Mexico and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, although some of their number may overwinter in coastal areas.
Yellow-breasted Chats are noticeably larger than all other warblers, reaching a length of 7.5 in (19.1 cm) and a wingspan of 9.75 in (24.8 cm). These birds have olive upperparts with white bellies and yellow throats and breasts; they also have long tails, thick heavy bills
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, large white eye-rings, and dark legs.
The breeding habitats of this species are dense, brushy areas and hedgerows. The nests of these birds are cup-shaped, and are placed in thick shrubs. These birds eat insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and berries, and will forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
in dense vegetation, occasionally gripping food with their feet.
The song of this bird is an odd, variable mixture of cackles, clucks, whistles and hoots. Their calls are harsh chaks. Unlike most warblers, this species has been known to mimic
Mimic
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is the similarity of one species to another which protects one or both. This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound, scent and even location, with the mimics found in similar places to their models....
the calls of other birds. This bird is somewhat secretive, but will usually sing from exposed locations.
Yellow-breasted Chats are declining in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
due to habitat loss, which is caused primarily from deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and urban development. This species is particularly vulnerable to brood parasitism
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
from Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or...
s that have taken advantage of the fragmentation of Eastern forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s to expand their range in the last century.
External links
- Yellow-breasted Chat at AviBase
- Yellow-breasted Chat at CT Department of Environmental Protection
- Yellow-breasted Chat Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-breasted Chat - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Yellow-breasted Chat Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Stamps (for Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
) - Yellow-breasted Chat videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Yellow-breasted Chat photo gallery VIREO
- Yellow-breasted Chat Bird Sound