Yellow-Breasted Chat
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Icteria virens
Life Span
8.9 years
Weight
20-34
0.7-1.2
goz
g oz 
Length
17-19
6.7-7.5
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
23-27
9.1-10.6
cminch
cm inch 

Yellow-breasted chats are large songbirds and are the New World warbler family's most atypical member. In the spring the male delivers a fluid cascade of whistles, chuckles, cackles, and gurgles. For the remainder of the year, the birds are rarely seen or heard, both males and females skulking silently within the shadows of thickets, gleaning berries and insects and berries. This species is North America's largest warbler, and perhaps the strangest, being like a cross between a mockingbird and a warbler. It is the only member of the family Icteriidae. It was once a member of the New World warbler family, but in 2017, the American Ornithological Society moved it to its own family. Its placement is not definitely resolved.

Di

Diurnal

Om

Omnivore

Ar

Arboreal

Al

Altricial

Te

Terrestrial

Te

Territorial

Ov

Oviparous

Mo

Monogamy

Po

Polygynandry

So

Solitary

Mi

Migrating

Y

starts with

Ch

Chatterboxes
(collection)

Appearance

These birds have olive upper parts with white bellies and bright-yellow throats and breasts. Other signature features of yellow-breasted chats are their large, white eye rings, and blackish legs. When seen, this species is unlikely to be mistaken for any other bird. This species reaches a total length of 17 to 19.1 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in) and a wingspan of 23 to 27 cm (9.1 to 10.6 in). Body mass can range from 20.2 to 33.8 g (0.71 to 1.19 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 7.1 to 8.4 cm (2.8 to 3.3 in), the elongated tail is 6.9 to 8.6 cm (2.7 to 3.4 in), the relatively long, heavy bill is 1.3 to 1.6 cm (0.51 to 0.63 in), and the tarsus is 2.5 to 3.1 cm (0.98 to 1.22 in).

Video

Distribution

Geography

Yellow-breasted chats breed across the eastern United States and southern Canada, from New York to Iowa and south to Texas and North Florida. They mainly migrate to Mexico and Central America for the winter, although some may overwinter in coastal areas farther north. These birds prefer to live in areas where dense shrubbery is common. Today, they are often found in abandoned farmland and other rural areas with overgrown vegetation, around riparian areas, and on wood edges.

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Yellow-breasted chats are diurnal, shy, and solitary birds; they are heard more often than seen, moving furtively among vegetation. They seek dense cover for searching for insects and also for nest cover. These birds use songs as their main source of communication. If females are present, males tend to sing to one another. They sing at night, often mimicking other birds. Their repertoire ranges from 41 to 100 types of songs. A male will share his songs, which allows for matched counter singing, where a male sings a certain song and another male reply with the same song. The songs communicate territorial interactions and determine dominance. A Yellow-breasted chat sings more during the preparation period than during incubation and the post-fledging period.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Yellow-breasted chats are omnivores; they eat small invertebrates, insects (ants, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, and beetles) during the breeding season, and mainly fruit in late summer (blackberries, strawberries, and grapes).

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
May-July
INCUBATION PERIOD
11-12 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
8-11 days
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
3-5 eggs

The mating system of this species ranges from monogamy (where one male mates with one female only), being the most common, to polygynandry (promiscuous), where males and females both have multiple mates. During the courtship period, the male sings from a perch that is exposed and does a hovering display flight, his head raised and his legs extended toward the ground, singing a complex song at the same time. He will hover and then drop back to his perch. These birds breed from May until July. They sometimes nest in loose colonies, though with separate territories, and they may produce two broods in a season. The nest is a cup made from weeds, dry leaves, and grapevine bark, located in a tangle of vines or a small bush, built by the female. 3 to 5 eggs are laid, which are creamy or white, smooth and glossy, speckled with purple or reddish. Incubation is for around 11 to 12 days, by the female. Chicks are altricial when they hatch, and both parents feed them. They fledge at around 8 to 11 days old. Once they leave the nest, the chicks remain nearby until able to forage on their own.

Population

Population threats

Yellow-breasted chats are threatened by habitat loss, by the clearing of lowland riparian woods and thickets for agriculture, residential and commercial development.

Population number

According to the What Bird resource, the total population size of the Yellow-breasted chat is around 12 million individuals. According to the All About Birds resource, the total population of the species is 13 million individuals, of which 90% spend part of their year in the U.S., with 50% in Mexico. Overall, currently, Yellow-breasted chats are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today remain stable.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • This species was first described by Carolus Linnaeus, in 1758, a Swedish physician, botanist, and zoologist.
  • The Yellow red-orange breast and throat plumage of these birds reflects strongly under ultraviolet light, curving with two peaks of ultraviolet and 570 to 590 nm of yellow light in the spectrum, representing a kind of visual communication.
  • This bird has a unique behavior, scratching on the ground and holding food in its feet before eating it.
  • Brown-headed cowbirds often will lay their eggs in the nests of Yellow-breasted chats. This sometimes causes a breeding pair to desert the nest, while other pairs will accept the cowbird egg, raising the chick as if it were their own.

References

1. Yellow-Breasted Chat Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-breasted_chat
2. Yellow-Breasted Chat on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22722057/0
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/702542

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