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The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a large songbird
Songbird

A songbird or oscine is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of Passerine , in which the syrinx is developed in such a way as to produce various sound notes, commonly known as bird song....
, 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 colourful 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 that it does not actually belong there has recently been confirmed. Its placement is not definitely resolved however. It is the only member of the genus Icteria. Found throughout North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, from southern-plains
Canadian Prairies

The Canadian Prairies is a list of regions of Canada of Canada, specifically in Western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political....
 Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending 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 federalism constitutionalism 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 Mexico....
 during the summer, these birds mainly migrate
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 to Mexico and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, 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 inches and a wingspan of 9.75 inches.






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The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a large songbird
Songbird

A songbird or oscine is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of Passerine , in which the syrinx is developed in such a way as to produce various sound notes, commonly known as bird song....
, 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 colourful 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 that it does not actually belong there has recently been confirmed. Its placement is not definitely resolved however. It is the only member of the genus Icteria. Found throughout North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, from southern-plains
Canadian Prairies

The Canadian Prairies is a list of regions of Canada of Canada, specifically in Western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political....
 Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending 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 federalism constitutionalism 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 Mexico....
 during the summer, these birds mainly migrate
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 to Mexico and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
, 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 inches and a wingspan of 9.75 inches. 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 insects 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
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 due to habitat loss, which is caused primarily from deforestation 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 parasite icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds bird migration to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat about March/April....
s that have taken advantage of the fragmentation of Eastern forests to expand their range in the last century.

External links

  • at AviBase
  • at CT Department of Environmental Protection
  • - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • - South Dakota Birds and Birding
  • (for Antigua and Barbuda
    Antigua and Barbuda

    Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located on the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. As its name suggests, it consists of two major islands Antigua and Barbuda as well as a number of smaller islets....
    )
  • on the Internet Bird Collection
  • VIREO