YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (Icteria virens) – (See images below)
DESCRIPTION: The Yellow-breasted Chat has olive green upper parts and a bright yellow throat and breast. Underside is white. There is a white bar between the bill and the eye. Bill, legs and feet are dark grey. Eyes are black with a white eye ring. Sexes are similar. Length of bird is around 19 cm (7 inches).
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Icteria-virens
NAME: ‘Chat’ is an onomatopoeia for bird’s call. Latin genus name ‘Icteria’ means ‘jaundice’, hence the color ‘yellow’. Latin species name ‘virens’ means ‘green’.
HABITAT: Dense shrub land, overgrown old farm fields.
DIET: Insects, berries, arthropods.
NESTING: Nest is a bowl-shaped structure placed in a thick shrub not far from the ground. Around four creamy eggs are laid, incubated by female. Chicks fed by both parents. Nest is vulnerable to parasitism from Brown-headed Cowbirds.
DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in most of the USA and southern Canadian Prairies. Winters in Mexico and Central America.
Distribution Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-breasted_chat#/media/File:Icteria_virens_map.svg
ON PEI: Does not breed on Prince Edward Island, sightings occasional or rare in the fall during migration.
CONSERVATION: Population declined in eastern range, but still widespread globally and not at risk.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Yellow-throated Vireo
REFERENCES: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/yellow-breasted-chat (Missouri Department of Conservation)
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Icteria_virens/ (University of Michigan)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-breasted_chat
https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/yellow-breasted-chat/ (Texas Breeding Bird Atlas)
https://birdatlas.mb.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=YBCH&lang=en (Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas)
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat/id
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-breasted-chat
Yellow-breasted Chat – BC Environment (.pdf file)
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/yellow-breasted-chat-2011.html
https://abcbirds.org/bird/yellow-breasted-chat/ (American Bird Conservancy)
DESCRIPTION: The Yellow-breasted Chat has olive green upper parts and a bright yellow throat and breast. Underside is white. There is a white bar between the bill and the eye. Bill, legs and feet are dark grey. Eyes are black with a white eye ring. Sexes are similar. Length of bird is around 19 cm (7 inches).
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Icteria-virens
NAME: ‘Chat’ is an onomatopoeia for bird’s call. Latin genus name ‘Icteria’ means ‘jaundice’, hence the color ‘yellow’. Latin species name ‘virens’ means ‘green’.
HABITAT: Dense shrub land, overgrown old farm fields.
DIET: Insects, berries, arthropods.
NESTING: Nest is a bowl-shaped structure placed in a thick shrub not far from the ground. Around four creamy eggs are laid, incubated by female. Chicks fed by both parents. Nest is vulnerable to parasitism from Brown-headed Cowbirds.
DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in most of the USA and southern Canadian Prairies. Winters in Mexico and Central America.
Distribution Map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-breasted_chat#/media/File:Icteria_virens_map.svg
ON PEI: Does not breed on Prince Edward Island, sightings occasional or rare in the fall during migration.
CONSERVATION: Population declined in eastern range, but still widespread globally and not at risk.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Yellow-throated Vireo
REFERENCES: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/yellow-breasted-chat (Missouri Department of Conservation)
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Icteria_virens/ (University of Michigan)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-breasted_chat
https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/yellow-breasted-chat/ (Texas Breeding Bird Atlas)
https://birdatlas.mb.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=YBCH&lang=en (Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas)
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-breasted_Chat/id
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-breasted-chat
Yellow-breasted Chat – BC Environment (.pdf file)
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/yellow-breasted-chat-2011.html
https://abcbirds.org/bird/yellow-breasted-chat/ (American Bird Conservancy)
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| Yellow-breasted chat, OR, by Jim Conrad |
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| Yellow-breasted chat, WA, Mick Thompson |