Photo by C. S. Robbins

I know most of you have heard this allusive bird in the woods hiding among dense leaves or brush making its “chattering” sound (chat is derived from chattering), but have you seen it? Once in awhile you get the chance to really get a good view. For those of you who went on the Sierra Anchas or Springerville/Eagar trip in 2005, you got that chance as we all got close up looks.

Description: This bird is the largest one in the warbler family reaching a length of 7.5” with a wing-span of 9.75”. It is long-tailed with a heavy black bill and lores along with plain gray-olive upperparts and a yellow breast. What really identifies this bird though (besides its call) is the white spectacles around its eyes. This bird sings more like a mockingbird or thrasher than a warbler.

Range: It is found in the lower 48 states and winters as far south as Panama Food: Their food consists of an equal amount of insects and berries although the young are fed mostly insects.

Breeding: They are monogamous and nest in deep brush or scrub especially along streams or near swamps. Their nest is large but very well concealed and made of dead leaves and straw with a tightly wove inner nest of fine bark and weed stems. They have 3-5 eggs that are white to creamy marked with browns. They have 2 broods during the year. Unlucky for them, they are a frequent host of the Brown-headed Cowbird since their eggs are similar in look and exactly the same size.