A yellow-breasted chat with a white eye ring among leaves. — Photo: Jim Conrad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

A big, bright-yellow songbird that hides in thickets, sings jumbled songs and holds food with its feet.

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About the Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted chats are 6.7 to 7.5 inches long and weigh 0.7 to 1.2 ounces. They have bright yellow throats and chests, olive-green backs and white 'spectacles' around their eyes. They live in thick, brushy places like forest edges and old farm fields, and in winter near coastal lowlands. They eat mostly insects, plus fruits and berries.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Icteria virens^[1]
Size: 6.7 to 7.5 inches long; 9- to 10.6-inch wingspan.^[1]
Weight: 0.7 to 1.2 ounces.^[1]
Lifespan: Usually 1 to 2 years; up to 12.^[1]
Diet: Mostly insects, plus fruits and berries.^[1]
Habitat: Dense brush, forest edges and old fields; coastal lowlands in winter.^[1]
Where it lives: North America; migrates south for winter.^[1]
Group life: Mostly alone except when nesting.^[1]
Babies: 3 to 6 eggs, incubated for about 11 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).^[2]

Fun facts

Chats hold their food with their feet, unlike most songbirds.^[1]
Males hover with their legs dangling while they sing.^[1]
Chats can mimic the calls of other birds.^[1]

Vocabulary

thicket: A thick tangle of bushes or small trees.
mimic: To copy the sounds or looks of something else.
songbird: A perching bird that can sing; songbirds make up about half of all bird species.
migrate: To travel from one region to another with the seasons.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Bird HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Yellow-breasted chat.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/yellow-breasted-chat (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Icteria virens (Yellow-breasted Chat).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22722057/138772425 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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