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"The chat is a true birder’s bird. Most non-birding members of the general public have probably never even heard of this species, and few would ever find themselves in the right kind of place to stumble upon one by chance. Yellow-breasted Chats can be challenging to find even with dedicated search effort, largely owing to their preference for densely vegetated, brushy habitat with nearly impenetrable tangles. Once discovered, however, they display animated antics that have charmed many a naturalist. Their jaunty, cocked tails and prominent white spectacle markings lend them a distinctive, expressive appearance, further enhanced by the boldly contrasting plumage of the brilliant golden throat, the clean white underbelly, and the camouflaged olive-green of the upperparts.
Though they are frequently skulky and silent during migration and the winter months, Yellow-breasted Chats can be shockingly conspicuous in the breeding season. Males post up on high perches, belting out chaotic, improvisational songs that feature a blend of hoots, growls, whistles, chatters, purrs, cackles, mewls, squawks, and mimicry of other species. They regularly launch into an impressive song flight, flapping dramatically with exaggerated tail pumps all while constantly vocalizing in midair. These musical performances sometimes continue long into the dark of the night, which may help passing nocturnal migrants locate suitable habitat on the ground below. With this varied repertoire of bizarre noises taken into account, the “chat” portion of the species moniker is clearly every bit as apt as “yellow-breasted” is.

One of the most intriguing details about this species is the turbulent history of its taxonomic classification. For decades, Icteria virens was designated a member of the wood-warbler family Parulidae, but it was understandably considered to be an aberrant outlier. This placement never quite sat right with many birders and ornithologists, as the chat’s structure and behavior are so wildly different from anything else in the tribe. Nebulous comments in field guides and checklists that the bird “might not belong” were a gross oversimplification of more than a century of scientific disagreements about its true affinities. In-depth genetic studies of New World passerines revealed that the Yellow-breasted Chat inhabits a distinct branch of the tree of life that is sister to the family Icteridae, which includes blackbirds, orioles, meadowlarks, oropendolas, and others. Some authorities have assigned the chat to that family as well, but the American Ornithological Society presently recognizes the species as the sole representative of a monotypic family: Icteriidae. "


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Tags:   Icteria virens Yellow-breasted Chat Reinita Grande Ictérie polyglotte not a warbler new gear canon R7 200-800 birdwatching Los Angeles Malibu creek state park birds might sing at night weirdo

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