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New World Warblers (Parulidae)

Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) - HBW 15, p. 798

French: Paruline polyglotte German: Gelbbrust-Waldsänger Spanish: Reinita Grande

Taxonomy: Turdus virens Linnaeus, 1758, America = South Carolina, USA.
Taxonomic affiliations of this species have for long been debated, but most authorities now accept its placement in present family, on basis largely of molecular studies. Relationships within family uncertain; seems to share some morphological features with Granatellus and also with Geothlypis poliocephala (has been suggested that latter may link present genus with the more typical Geothlypis species). Recent research indicates, however, that it appears not to form part of a monophyletic parulid family, and recent studies of its song and vocal repertoire support this find.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Turdus virens Linnaeus, 1758, America = South Carolina, USA.
Taxonomic affiliations of this species have for long been debated, but most authorities now accept its placement in present family, on basis largely of molecular studies. Relationships within family uncertain; seems to share some morphological features with Granatellus and also with Geothlypis poliocephala (has been suggested that latter may link present genus with the more typical Geothlypis species). Recent research indicates, however, that it appears not to form part of a monophyletic parulid family, and recent studies of its song and vocal repertoire support this finding. Further research required. Proposed races longicauda (NW of range) and tropicalis (NW Mexico) are treated as synonyms of auricollis, and danotia (S Texas and N Mexico) is synonymized with nominate.
Two subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • auricollis ( W. Deppe, 1830) - breeds locally from SW Canada (S British Columbia and Saskatchewan) S through W USA to C Mexico; winters mainly in Mexico and Guatemala.
  • virens ( Linnaeus, 1758) - breeds extreme SE Canada (extreme SE Ontario) and locally E USA (from North Dakota and S Great Lakes S to Texas and N Florida) and NE Mexico; winters mainly E Mexico S to W Panama.

Videos

4 videos

Sounds

2 recordings
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