Yellow-breasted Chat

The most vivid highlight of the morning was a colorful and vocal Yellow-breasted Chat, singing in a huge privet bush in the old field, near a chinaberry tree in bloom. I heard its song first – a strange, harsh mixture of whistled notes, and a characteristic chet-chet-chet-chet. It took at least five or ten minutes of standing, listening and watching the privet bush and chinaberry tree before I finally saw a flash of yellow as it emerged from the dusty-white privet blooms into the open. It didn’t stay out long, but long enough to see the brilliant deep yellow of its throat and breast, the white belly, plain olive back, heavy bill, and the startling, bold white spectacles. It stretched out low on the branch, looked around, and flew to another bush, where it disappeared.

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