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Location: Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego, CA
Date: 2005-04-24
Lens: Canon 400mm F5.6
Date: 2005-04-24
Lens: Canon 400mm F5.6
Yellow-Breasted Chat
Icteria virens
DescriptionThe Yellow-breasted Chat is a very large wood warbler. Hard to believe, but it's true. The Yellow-breasted Chat is secretive and is often heard, but not seen. This bird is highly vocal with a loud and distinctive song that sometimes seems to mimic the songs of other birds. The male will often sing at night. The Yellow-breasted Chat feeds on berries and insects, such as ants, weevils, bees, and moths.
Olive upperparts. Bright yellow breast and throat. Whitish belly and undertail coverts. White mustache and eyebrow, which extends from bill. Partial white eye ring under eye. Blake eye line, which extends from bill. Large, thick, black bill. Long tail. Sexes similar. 6.5 to 7.5 inches in length.
Dense thickets and brush. Streamside thickets and dry hillside brush.
Nesting4-5 white eggs with brown spots. The eggs have a 11 day incubation period. Fledging occurs in 8 days. The nest is made from grass, bark, and leaves and lined with finer grass. The nest is built in a dense bush. Sometimes nests in loose colonies with separate territories. This bird is usually monogamous.
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