How to Identify a Yellow Breasted Chat

The Yellow-breasted Chat is the largest of the wood-warblers. He is shy and elusive, spending most of his time in undergrowth and in foliage. He gets his name from the chattering sounds he makes. The Yellow-breasted Chat is heard more often than seen. He is approximately 7 inches in length with a wing span of 10 inches and weighs between 0.81 and 1.09 ounces.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Recognize the Yellow-breasted Chat by his clear, bright yellow breast and throat with a white belly and under tail and by his olive green to olive gray upper parts.

2. Notice his olive green head with the white stripe. He has distinctive eyes with a single white ring circling the eyes and a black area beneath them.

3. Look for his thick, dark bill, dark feet and legs and unusually long tail. His tail is much longer than that of other members of the warbler family.

4. Listen for the Yellow-breasted Chat mostly at night. His loud song uses a wide variety of sounds resembling many other birds such as whistles, cackles, mews, caw notes, chuckles, rattles, squawks, gurgles, pops and catcalls.

5. Watch for the yellow breasted chat feeding on insects, berries, hedges or fruit bearing shrubs.

6. Spot the female Yellow-breasted Chat by the gray in front of her eyes, not black as with the male species.

Tips & Warnings

• The Yellow-breasted Chat prefers habitats that include dense thickets and brush, thorns and dry brushy hillsides.

Resources

• Listen to the Yellow-breasted Chat.