Yellow-breasted Chat

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iYellow-breasted Chat

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Parulidae
Genus:	Icteria Vieillot, 1808
Species:	I. virens

Binomial name

Icteria virens
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a large songbird, the most atypical member of the New World warbler family, and the only member of the genus Icteria. Found throughout North America from southern Canada to central Mexico during the summer, these birds largely migrate to Mexico and Central America, though some birds may overwinter in coastal areas.

Yellow-breasted Chats are appreciably larger than all other warblers, reaching a length of 7.5 inches and a wingspan of 9.75 inches. These birds have olive upperparts with a white belly and a yellow throat and breast; they have a long tail, a thick heavy bill, a large white eye ring, and dark legs.

The breeding habitat of this species is dense brushy areas and hedgerows, and the nest is a large open cup placed in thick shrubs. They forage in dense vegetation, sometimes holding food with their feet; these birds eat insects and berries.

The song of this bird is an odd, variable mixture of cackles, clucks, whistles and hoots. The call is a harsh chak. Unlike most warblers, this species has been known to mimic the calls of other birds. This bird is somewhat secretive, but usually sings from exposed locations.

Yellow-breasted Chats are declining in eastern North America due to habitat loss, primarily from deforestation and urban development. This species is particularly vulnerable to brood parasitism from Brown-headed Cowbirds that have taken advantage of the fragmentation of Eastern forests to expand their range in the last century.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Icteria virens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern