Melodious Yellow-breasted Bird– Erakina

Yellow-breasted chats are large songbirds, and are the New World warbler family’s most atypical member. During spring, the male delivers a fluid cascade of whistles, chuckles, cackles and gurgles. For the rest of the year, the birds are rarely seen or heard, both males and females skulking silently within the shadows of thickets, gleaning berries and insects. This species is North America’s largest warbler, and maybe the strangest, being sort of a cross between a mockingbird and a warbler.

The Yellow-breasted Chat is a species of North American songbird that is known for its unique vocalizations and brightly colored plumage. This bird is larger than most warblers, with a length of 7-8 inches and a wingspan of 9-10 inches. The males have a bright yellow throat and breast, while the females have a duller yellow coloration.

Yellow-breasted Chats are highly territorial and can be found in a variety of habitats including thickets, shrubby areas, and riparian zones. They prefer areas with dense vegetation for nesting and foraging.

Behaviorally, Yellow-breasted Chats are known for their complex and diverse songs, which consist of a combination of whistles, trills, and harsh notes. These songs are often loud and can be heard from a distance. They are also known for their acrobatic flight patterns, often flying in a zigzag or erratic manner.

These birds are known for their complex breeding habits. Males arrive at their breeding grounds in early spring and establish territories through singing and aggressive displays. They build cup-shaped nests on the ground or in low shrubs, carefully concealed among vegetation. Females lay a clutch of 3-5 eggs, which they incubate for about 10-12 days. Both parents then take turns feeding the hatchlings until they fledge after about 10-12 days.

Alt: Yellow Breasted Chat

Image Description: These are unaccustomed to the warbler family

Source:https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/yellowbreasted-chat-icteria-virens-on-260nw-1443743351.jpg

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Passeriformes
Family Icteridae
Genus Icteria
Species Icteria Virens(yellow-breasted chat)
Lifespan 8-9 years
Weight 20-34 gm
Length 17-19 cm

Wingspan 23-27 cm

The Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) is a medium-sized songbird found in western North America. It is known for its striking red head and bright yellow plumage on its body. This vibrant bird measures about 7 inches in length and has a wingspan of approximately 11 inches.

Males display a brilliant red plumage on their head and upper body, while their lower body is a vibrant yellow. Females, on the other hand, exhibit a more subtle olive-green color on their head and upper body, with a yellowish hue on their lower body.

The Western Tanager is often found in coniferous forests and woodlands, where it feeds on insects, fruits, and seeds. Its melodious song can be heard during the breeding season, and it shares its habitat with other yellow-breasted birds like the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens).

Kentucky Warbler is a small songbird found in the eastern United States, known for its distinctive black mask and vibrant yellow plumage. This species is primarily found in dense, moist deciduous forests with thick undergrowth, particularly in the southern and central parts of its range. The Kentucky Warbler has specific habitat preferences, favoring areas with a dense canopy and a diverse understory of shrubs and ferns.

It is known to be territorial during the breeding season, with males defending their territories vigorously. The breeding behavior of the Kentucky Warbler involves a complex courtship ritual, including singing, wing-flashing, and tail-spreading displays. Males build cup-shaped nests on or near the ground, usually hidden under dense vegetation.

The female lays a clutch of 3-6 eggs, which she incubates for about 12-14 days. Both parents participate in feeding the chicks until they fledge after about 10-12 days.

Distribution

Yellow-breasted chats breed across the eastern US and southern Canada, from New York to Iowa and south to Texas and North Florida. They also breed in Central America and Mexico. They live in bushes and dense coppice in dry open habitats, around riverine areas, wood edges, and in overgrown clearings resulting from vegetative growth in forest openings created by fire or storms, or in abandoned fields.

Geography

Continents North America
Subcontinents Caribbean Islands, Central America
Countries Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Republic of El Salvador, Guatemala

Alt: Distribution of yellow breasted Chat

Description: Map showing the distribution of bird over the continent
Image Source:https://assets.whatbird.com/api/image/birds_na_147/image/56794

Habitat and Lifestyle

This species is non-nocturnal, shy and companionless, heard more often than seen, moving sneakily among vegetation. They seek dense protection, looking for insects and also for nest cover. These birds use songs as their major origin of communication. If females are present, males tend to sing to at least one another. They sing in the hours of darkness, often mimicking other birds.

Their repertoire ranges from 41 to 100 kinds of songs. A male will share his songs, which allows for matched counter singing, where a male sings a specific song and another male replies with the identical song. The songs communicate territorial interactions and determine dominance. These birds sing more during the preparation period than during incubation and also the post-fledging period.

Diet and Nutrition

These birds are frugivores and insectivores, they eat small invertebrates, insects (ants, wasps, bees, grasshoppers and beetles) during reproduction season, and mainly fruit in late summer (blackberries, strawberries, and grapes).
DIET: Insectivores, Frugivore, Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore.

Mating Habits

Mating Behaviour Monogamy, Polygynandry
Reproduction Season May-July
Incubation Period 11-12 days
Independent Age 8-11 days
Baby Name Chick
Baby Carrying 3-5 days

Alt: Growth of the bird

Description: Image showing the various stages of the bird

Image Source:https://assets.whatbird.com/api/image/birds_na_147/image/54327?x=322

This mating system of this species ranges from monogamy (where one male mates with one female only), being the foremost common, to polygynandry (promiscuous), where males and females both have multiple mates.

During the courtship period, the male sings from a perch that’s exposed, and does a hovering display flight, his head raised and his legs extended toward the bottom, singing a posh song at the same time. He will hover and then move back to his perch. These birds breed from May until July.

They often nest in loose colonies, though with separate territories, and they may produce two broods in an exceedingly season. The nest may be a cup made of weeds, dry leaves and grapevine bark, located in a very tangle of vines or atiny low bush built by the female.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a species of woodpecker, is known for its distinctive yellow breast and its habit of drilling sap wells in trees. These birds have specific habitat preferences that contribute to their survival and reproduction.

Three to five eggs are laid, which are creamy or white, smooth and glossy, speckled with purple or reddish. Gestation takes about 11 to 12 days for the female. Chicks are self-sustaining after they hatch, and both parents feed them. They leave-the-nest when they are around 8 to 11 days old. Upon fledging, the chicks remain closeby until it’s able to forage on their own.

They are commonly found in deciduous forests across North America, particularly in areas with a mix of mature trees and open spaces. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers prefer trees such as birch, maple, and oak that have a high sap content. They create small, evenly spaced holes in the bark, called sap wells, to access the sap and insects that are attracted to it.

While their feeding behavior may seem detrimental to the tree, it actually benefits the tree by attracting insects that aid in the decomposition of deadwood and increase nutrient availability. Moreover, their sap wells provide a valuable food source for other animals, such as hummingbirds and insects.

Overall, the impact of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers on tree health is complex and interconnected with the broader ecosystem dynamics.

Population

● Population threats

Chats are threatened by the clearing of lowland, habitat loss, dispersal of riparian woods and thickets for agriculture, commercial and residential development.

● Population number

According to the World Bird resource, the entire population size of the Yellow-breasted chat(Icteria virens) is around 12 million individuals. Per the All About Birds resource, the total populace of the species is 13 million individuals, of which 90% spend a part of their year within the U.S, with 50% in Mexico. Generally, Yellow-breasted chats are presently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their digits today remain fixed.

Fun Facts

This species was first described by Carolus Linnaeus(Carl Von Linne), in 1758, a Swedish physician, botanist and zoologist.
● The Yellow red-orange breast and throat plumage of these birds reflects strongly under UV(ultraviolet) light, curving with two peaks of ultraviolet and 570 to 590 nm of yellow light within the spectrum, representing a sort of visual communication.
● This bird features a unique behavior, scratching on the ground and holding food in its feet before eating it.
● Brown-headed cowbirds frequently lay their eggs in the nests of the Icteria virens. This
sometimes causes a breeding pair to abandon the nest, while other pairs will accept the
cowbird egg, raising the chick as if it were their own.

You can also read about mangoes: Mango: 10 Health Benefits Of Mango-Erakina

Joy Oahimijie
04-04-2022