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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Cardinals and Allies (Family Cardinalidae)

-Granatellus Chats (Genus Granatellus)

-Red-breasted Chat (Granatellus venustus)


The Red-breasted Chat (Granatellus venustus) is a striking songbird native to western Mexico, known for its vivid coloration and melodic voice. Males are easily recognized by their bright red breast and throat, contrasting sharply with a blue-gray back, black face mask, and white underparts, while females are more subdued with olive-gray tones and a faint reddish wash on the breast. This species inhabits dry forests, scrublands, and thorny thickets, often staying low in dense vegetation. The Red-breasted Chat feeds primarily on insects and other small invertebrates, occasionally supplementing its diet with fruit.

Red-Breasted Chat

Granatellus venustus

Diet

  • Primarily insects, including beetles, caterpillars, ants, grasshoppers, flies, and spiders.

  • Also feeds on small berries and other fleshy fruits, especially outside the breeding season.

  • Forages mainly in dense shrubs and the lower levels of tropical dry forests, gleaning prey from leaves and branches.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring along the Pacific slope from southern Sonora south through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and western Oaxaca.

  • Occurs in the Zihuatanejo region, where it is an uncommon but regular year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn forests, woodland edges, second-growth, and dense brush, generally from sea level to about 1,500 m.

Male / Female

  • Male: Striking black head, back, and upper breast; brilliant red breast, white belly, bold white eyebrow, and conspicuous white wing patches.

  • Female: Gray head and upperparts, pale buff to whitish underparts with only a faint pinkish wash on the breast, and less conspicuous wing markings.

  • The sexes are easily distinguished by their dramatically different plumage.

Size

  • Length: 14–15 cm (5.5–5.9 in)

  • Wingspan: 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in)

  • Weight: 17–21 g

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