American Redstart

Setophaga ruticillaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Wood Warblers (Parulidae)

American Redstart - The breeding male has glossy black upperparts and hood, distinct orange-red patches on wings and shoulders, a long fanned tail, and white underparts.

American Redstart Female - The female has olive-gray upperparts, a gray head with a white eye-ring, white underparts, yellow wing patches, and a yellow edged tail.

American Redstart 1st Spring - In the spring the male displays olive-gray upperparts, lores are usually black, and the breast has some black spotting. Adult male plumage is aquired by the 2nd fall.

American Redstart 1st Summer - The head and upperparts of the 1st summer redstart show varying amounts of black mottling. The remaining colors resemble the 1st spring.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

American Redstart

American Redstart: Medium, active warbler with black upperparts and hood, distinctive orange-red patches on wings, sides, and long, fanned tail, and white underparts. Bill, legs, and feet are black. It frequently flashes its colorful wings and tail to flush insects from foliage.

● Song: "chewy-chewy-chewy, chew-chew-chew"

● Foraging & Feeding: American Redstart: Feeds on insects, spiders, caterpillars, berries, fruits, and seeds. Often pursues flying insects by dropping from perch. Has flycatcher-like bristles around bill and competes for food with the Least Flycatcher, which may aggressively attack redstarts.

● Breeding & nesting: American Redstart: Two to five white or pale green eggs, marked with brown and gray, are laid in a compact cup of grass, bark shreds, plant fibers, and spider silk, often decorated with lichens, and lined with fine grass and hair. Nest is usually built in a tree or bush 10 to 20 feet above the ground. Female incubates eggs for 12 days.

● Similar species: American Redstart: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Weak flight on rapidly beating wings.

● Range & Habitat: American Redstart: Breeds from southeastern Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern California, Colorado, Oklahoma, northern Louisiana, and South Carolina. Spends winters in southern Texas and southern California and points south into the tropics. Preferred habitats include second-growth woodlands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCommon to fairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America