American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

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A Field Guide to Warblers of North America (The Peterson Field Guide Series). by Kimball L. Garrett, Jon L. Dunn, Cindy House (Illustrator)

Warblers of Eastern North America

Color Photograph: © Corel Corporation

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Recording by John R. Sauer, U.S. Geological Survey

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Identification: 4.5 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: The male American Redstart is black with orange-red patches on the sides under the wing, on the wing, and on the basal two-thirds of the tail feathers. The underside is white.

Female: The female is much duller than the male. The back is olive-brown and the head is grayish. The red-orange patches of the male are replaced with yellow. The underside is white to dull white.

Fall Male and Female: Similar to the breeding male and female.

Immature: Similar to the female.

Similar Species: The American Redstart is a distinctive bird and unlikely to be confused with any other North American species.

Breeding Range (see map below): The American Redstart's breeding range occupies most of the Northern Boreal Forest and the Eastern Deciduous Forest. The American Redstart also breeds across the northern United States from Michigan to Washington.

Overwintering Range: The overwintering range of the American Redstart is the American tropics, including southern Florida, southern Texas, and southern California.

Habitat: The American Redstart prefers second growth forest with saplings and thickets of bushes.

Food: Insects.

Behavior: The American Redstart is a very active bird even by the standards of warblers They are commonly seen catching flies and other flying insects in the air. The species has the habit of fanning its brightly marked tail from side to side. Males require a full year to acquire the distinctive black and orange coloration. The song is a series of similar high notes, sometimes with a characteristic, lower end note.

Reproduction: The nest is constructed of grass, bark, and plant fibers lined with hair and fine grass. The nest is most commonly placed in a sapling or next to the trunk of a tree. The clutch consists of 4 brown speckled white eggs. Incubation takes about 12 days and the young leave the nest 9 days after hatching.

Notes: The American Redstart is one of the most common North American warblers within its breeding range, probably because of its preference for second growth forest.