Yellow Chat
A species of Australian chats Scientific name : Epthianura crocea Genus : Australian chats
Yellow Chat, A species of Australian chats
Botanical name: Epthianura crocea
Genus: Australian chats
Content
Description General Info
Description
The yellow chat is a small passerine bird usually seen in groups of 2-10 individuals. They are approximately 11 cm (4.3 in) tall and weigh 9 g (0.32 oz). They are sexually dimorphic with the adult male having a bright golden-yellow forehead and underparts with a prominent black crescent breast band. The crown and nape are a grey-olive colour, the back is yellowish-brown and the tail is black with yellow tips on the feathers. The female is of similar colouring to the male but with a paler yellow colour and with no breast band. The juveniles are distinguished by being more greyish-brown in colour than the yellow displayed by their parents. All yellow chats, including juveniles, have a distinctive yellow rump when in flight. They have relatively long legs and toes, allowing them to forage with ease for food over low vegetation and on the ground. Yellow chats can also be identified by their distinctive, high-pitched and tuneful pee pee call.
Size
12 cm
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
Yellow Chat predominantly feeds on insects, scavenging in damp environments and shallow waters. It forages within low vegetation, displaying unique dietary preferences for wetland habitats.
Habitat
The habitat of yellow Chat typically includes areas with low vegetation near ephemeral wetlands. This encompasses environments such as samphire shrublands, freshwater swamps, bore overflows, saltlakes, sewage ponds, and floodplains. Found in arid, semi-arid, and tropical regions, yellow Chat are also sometimes present in open woodlands dominated by acacia or eucalypt trees with an understorey of lignum, grasses, or chenopods. In some northwest regions, they inhabit Sporobolus grasslands near subcoastal wetlands, and in northern tropics, they are occasionally found at the fringes of mangrove forests.
Dite type
Granivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Distribution Area
The yellow chat occurs patchily throughout northern Australia, ranging across the arid zone from north-eastern South Australia and south-western Queensland to the north-west of the Northern Territory. There are some isolated populations in eastern Queensland and in north-west Western Australia. Their habitat is subject to high temperatures for most of the year and contains marshy plains vegetated with saltbush, rank grasses, or cumbungi reeds. These marshes have been formed by marine lagoons or inland artesian bore drains, creating a saline environment. This distribution includes the central arid region and the hot, subhumid monsoonal region. Most of the annual rainfall falls during the summer monsoon, leaving the remaining six months of the year with little rainfall.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Honeyeaters Genus
Australian chats Species
Yellow Chat