Red-breasted Chat

Overview

The red-breasted chat (Granatellus venustus) is a small passerine bird in the family Cardinalidae, endemic to Mexico. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, though it faces habitat threats as less than 20% of the original forest in its range remains intact.

Identification

• Length of 14.5 to 16 cm and weight between 10.2 and 11.4 g.
• Adult nominate male features a bluish grey upperside, a mostly black face with a broad white supercilium, a black chest band, and vermilion chest, lower breast, belly, and vent.
• Adult females have slate grey upperparts, buff and grey faces, and buff breast and belly with salmon pink vents.
• Song consists of a repeated, variable, fairly sweet warble, while the call is a repeated wet 'plek' or 'plik'.

Habitat

Primarily inhabits thorn forest, scrubby woodland, the understory of secondary forest, and evergreen swamp forest along rivers. It is endemic to western Mexico, ranging from Sinaloa south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with the subspecies G. v. francescae restricted to Islas Marías. Elevations generally range from sea level to 1,200 m, though locally up to 1,600 m.

Diet

Little is known about its foraging habits or diet, but it is assumed to eat insects and other arthropods.

Did you know?

Despite being placed in the cardinal family, the genus was traditionally classified in the New World warblers before being reclassified in the early 2000s based on DNA sequence studies.