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Icteria virens

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Yellow-breasted Chat

G5Secure Found in 80 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104641
Element CodeABPBX24010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyIcteriidae
GenusIcteria
COSEWICE,NAR
Other Common Names
Buscabreña (ES) Paruline polyglotte (FR) yellow-breasted chat (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of mitochondrial DNA (Lovette and Bermingham 2002, Yuri and Mindell 2002, Klein et al. 2004, Klicka et al. 2007) indicate that the genus Icteria represents an old lineage of uncertain affinities, probably related to the Parulidae, Icteridae, or Emberizidae (AOU 2011).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-08
Change Date1996-12-03
Edition Date1996-02-16
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G., F. Dirrigl, Jr., and C. F. Thompson
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Large breeding range in North America; numerous occurrences; fairly common in many areas; population trends vary among regions, with declines evident in several eastern states, but overall the population is relatively stable.
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: southern British Columbia across southern Canada and the northern U.S. to southern Ontario and central New York, south to southern Baja California, to Sinaloa on Pacific slope, to Zacatecas in interior over plateau, to southern Tamaulipas on Atlantic slope, and to Gulf Coast and northern Florida (AOU 1998). See Cadman and Page (1994) for further details on distribution on Canada. NON-BREEDING: southern Baja California, southern Sinaloa, southern Texas, southern Louisiana, and southern Florida south (rarely north to Oregon, Great Lakes, New York, and New England) to western Panama (AOU 1998).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include habitat loss due to successional changes and clearing of land for agricultural or residential development. Frequently parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird (MOLOTHRUS ATER), but whether this has a significant impact on reproductive success is not well known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

BREEDING: Second growth, shrubby old pastures, thickets, bushy areas, scrub, woodland undergrowth, and fence rows, including low wet places near streams, pond edges, or swamps; thickets with few tall trees; early successional stages of forest regeneration; commonly in sites close to human habitation. Nests in bushes, brier tangles, vines, and low trees, generally in dense vegetation less than 2 m above ground. NON-BREEDING: In winter, establishes territories in young second-growth forest and scrub (Dennis 1958, Thompson and Nolan 1973, Morse 1989).

Ecology

In southern Indiana, density was 5-8 breeding males per 18 ha of upland deciduous scrub, plus 2-5 territorial nonbreeding males; territory size averaged 1.24 ha (about 3 acres); very few returned to study area in years following first capture; study area was regarded as unfavorable for chats (Thompson and Nolan 1973). Based on other warblers, annual mortality rate probably is 30-60% in adults, 60-90% in post-fledging young (Thompson and Nolan 1973). NON-BREEDING: Sedentary, solitary during winter (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

In southern British Columbia, most clutches are initiated from mid-May to late June (mainly early to mid-June) (Cannings et al. 1987). Nests with eggs occur primarily in June in Ontario, late May to mid-July in New York (Bull 1974). Some clutches are produced before May 15 in Ohio (Peterjohn and Rice 1991). Clutch size is usually 3-5. Incubation, by the female, lasts 11-15 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at 8-11 days (generally by mid-July in southern British Columbia and Alberta, as early as late June in Ontario and New York, as early as early June in Ohio). Sexually mature in one year. In southern Indiana, nests begun in late June and July were more successful than were nests begun earlier; nearly all nest failures were attributed to predators (Thompson and Nolan 1973).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparral
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
IllinoisS5Yes
ConnecticutS1BYes
New JerseyS3B,S4NYes
MichiganS2Yes
South DakotaS4BYes
Rhode IslandS1B,S1NYes
TennesseeS4Yes
TexasS5BYes
IndianaS4BYes
MassachusettsS1B,S1NYes
FloridaSNRBYes
MinnesotaSNAYes
North CarolinaS5BYes
IdahoS4BYes
VirginiaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS2B,S4MYes
New MexicoS3B,S4NYes
District of ColumbiaS3NYes
West VirginiaS3BYes
AlabamaS5B,S2NYes
WyomingS4B,S4NYes
IowaS3B,S3NYes
North DakotaSUYes
New YorkS2BYes
WashingtonS3BYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
DelawareS4BYes
MarylandS5BYes
KentuckyS5BYes
Navajo NationS2BYes
CaliforniaS4Yes
ArkansasS4B,S4NYes
LouisianaS5BYes
NebraskaSNRYes
MissouriSNRBYes
OregonS4BYes
MississippiS5BYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
KansasS3BYes
ColoradoS4BYes
ArizonaS4Yes
South CarolinaS4BYes
OhioS5Yes
NevadaS3BYes
MontanaS5BYes
WisconsinS2BYes
UtahS3BYes
CanadaN3B
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS2BYes
OntarioS1BYes
AlbertaS3BYes
SaskatchewanS3BYes
Roadless Areas (80)
Arizona (7)
AreaForestAcres
CenterfireApache-Sitgreaves National Forests13,130
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
NolanApache-Sitgreaves National Forests6,780
PicachoTonto National Forest4,969
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
California (12)
AreaForestAcres
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
ChanchelullaShasta-Trinity National Forest3,915
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Dry LakesLos Padres National Forest17,043
EagleShasta-Trinity National Forest6,553
Hixon FlatSan Bernardino National Forest8,095
LaddCleveland National Forest5,300
Little French CShasta-Trinity National Forest11,529
Log Cabin SaddlebagInyo National Forest15,165
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
PortugueseKlamath National Forest18,915
Salt GulchShasta-Trinity National Forest6,511
Idaho (2)
AreaForestAcres
Italian PeakCaribou-Targhee National Forest141,158
Lemhi RangeSalmon-Challis National Forest308,533
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest9,277
Montana (6)
AreaForestAcres
Devils Gap #698Kootenai National Forest5,353
HolterHelena National Forest1,965
Lost Water CanyonCuster National Forest9,251
Mcneeley #675Kootenai National Forest6,657
Tongue River BreaksCuster National Forest17,481
Trout CreekKootenai National Forest30,851
Nevada (5)
AreaForestAcres
Ruby - Secret Pk.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest6,749
Snake - Big WashHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,146
Snake - HatcheryHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,627
Snake - Peacock CynHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,069
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
New Mexico (17)
AreaForestAcres
Arroyo de los FrijolesSanta Fe National Forest5,277
Aspen MountainGila National Forest23,784
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
Capitan MountainsLincoln National Forest14,069
Chama WS RiverSanta Fe National Forest4,168
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Juan de Gabaldon GrantSanta Fe National Forest8,023
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Nichols ReservoirSanta Fe National Forest1,518
NolanGila National Forest13,051
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
Thompson PeakSanta Fe National Forest33,001
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
North Dakota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Long X DivideDakota Prairie Grasslands10,099
MagpieDakota Prairie Grasslands21,281
Oregon (7)
AreaForestAcres
DeadhorseWallowa-Whitman National Forest10,690
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Imnaha FaceWallowa-Whitman National Forest29,575
Mountain SheepWallowa-Whitman National Forest19,457
Sheep DivideWallowa-Whitman National Forest16,201
Snake RiverWallowa-Whitman National Forest31,229
South Dakota (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cheyenne RiverBuffalo Gap National Grassland7,572
Red ShirtBuffalo Gap National Grassland17,007
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
Utah (10)
AreaForestAcres
418014Uinta National Forest9,683
418016Uinta National Forest35,240
418024Uinta National Forest51,699
418025Uinta National Forest32,698
Capital ReefDixie National Forest763
Lewis PeakWasatch-Cache National Forest11,616
Mahogany RangeWasatch-Cache National Forest11,409
Mollens HollowWasatch-Cache National Forest17,690
Oak CreekFishlake National Forest54,053
Steves MountainFishlake National Forest22,649
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
Washington (4)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonOkanogan National Forest9,681
EntiatWenatchee National Forest72,617
Granite MountainOkanogan National Forest27,428
Willow SpringsUmatilla National Forest10,414
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