Description

Easily identified by its large size as compared to other warblers, olive green to olive grey upperparts, yellow throat and breast, heavyset bill, white spectacles and distinctive tail that is somewhat graduated.

The breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat includes thickets along rivers as typically found on the edge of deciduous woodlands.

The song of the Yellow-breasted Chat is highly distinctive and includes a variety of notes that can be described as whistles, cackles, clucks and hoots as represented by "cheh-cheh-cheh-cheh" and may incorporate higher notes such as "tu-tu-tu-tu" into the song.

The size of the Yellow-beasted Chat should preclude any confusion with other warblers but a short glimpse of a chat could suggest a Common Yellowthroat

The Yellow-breasted Chat is a very shy and solitary bird. The chat has unique behavioural traits such as scratching under the wing and holding food in its feet.
It is the largest wood-warbler species and its taxonomic relationship with the rest of the wood-warbler species is still a matter of dispute. A true southern species this bird is easily detected by both sight and sound, but is considered a challenge to approach due to the harshness of its habitat.

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