Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens · New World Blackbirds, Troupials, and Allies
The Yellow-breasted Chat is a distinctive songbird, known for its vibrant plumage and complex vocalizations. Once considered an atypical warbler, it is now recognized as the sole member of its own family, Icteriidae. This species is often heard before it is seen, as it tends to skulk within dense vegetation.
Explore the full field guideMigratoryMedium-sizedVaried voiceOmnivorous
1 call·first heard Oct 12·last 15d ago
When it's heardpeak 7a · fall
5a12p9p
How to know it
- Bright yellow throat and breast, contrasting with an olive-green back and white belly.
- Features sharp white "spectacles" around dark eyes, with a white line extending from above the eye to the beak.
- Possesses a thick bill and a relatively long tail.
- Males and females are similar, though males may have more pronounced black lores (area between eye and bill). Juveniles lack the bright yellow and have dusky spotting.