American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Introduction

The American Redstart is a conspicuous, acrobatic and abundant warbler. It displays brightly coloured ‘flash patterns’ while fanning its tail and drooping its wings to flush prey from vegetation. It breeds from southeast Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, northern Louisiana, and in the eastern U.S. states.  It winters along the Mexican coasts, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America.

Identification

Adult Male (spring/summer)

Black head throat and breast. Rictal bristles are often conspicuous. Broad based bill. The nape, back, scapulars, tertials and uppertail coverts are black. White belly. Sides and axillaries are orange. Undertail coverts are white with black smudgy tips. Wings are black with conspicuous orange base of primaries and secondaries. This is most apparent in flight. The undertail has orange base with black terminal band. From above the black spread tail shows orange on the outer four pairs of rectrices and on parts of the pair adjacent to the black central rectrices.

Adult Female (spring/summer)

Pale gray head and breast with olive green wings. Yellow areas on female correspond to orange areas of male

Juvenile

Similar to adult females.

General Information

General:

A medium-sized warbler with a relatively wide, flat bill and a fairly long, expressive tail. Length: 11-13cm. Wing: 16-19cm. Weight: 6-9 grams.

Behaviour: 

The partial spreading and drooping of the wings, along with the fanning of the tail to flush insects are conspicuous and characteristic of the American Redstart. The tail is held fanned out for a second or two, or continuously for longer periods. The American Redstart preforms more sallying out for flying insects than do most wood warblers. It hover-gleans from foliage and creeps along trunks and branches for insects. Most foraging is at low to midlevels of the forest. Besides insects, berries and seeds are taken.

Habitat: 

The American Redstart breeds in wooded habitats, particularly those dominated by wet deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests where there is an understory of young trees. Often found near ponds, streams, or swamps.  They favour interior woodland over edges, and prefer large tracks of habitat measuring at least 400 hectares.

Information: 

Despite their name the American Redstart is not closely related to other Redstarts. The nest is a tightly woven cup of small fibers such as grasses, birch bark strips, hair, feathers, needles, and leaves placed in a fork or near the trunk of a deciduous tree at heights usually less than 4.5 meters. Clutch size is 1-5 white or creamy with brown or reddish blotches eggs.

Similar species: 

Baltimore Oriole, Painted Redstart.

Conservation Status: 

Listed as Least Concern. However, in the US portion of its range there has been a cumulative decline of 46%.

Maps & Statistics

Capture Rates

American redstart is an uncommon to rare bird in Vancouver with captures limited to two individuals in August.

Ageing and Sexing (Band Size: 0A, 0)

Molt Summary

PF: HY partial (Jun-Sep); PB: AHY complete (Jun-Aug); PA absent-limited (Oct-Apr). Molts  occur on the summer grounds.

Preformative molt (which can complete before fledging) usually includes all med and gr coverts and often greater alula, but no terts or rects.

PA mainly limited to body feathers but 1st PA can include 1-3 inner gr coverts, but no terts or rects . The adult PA does not include wing coverts.

HY/SY

December - August

This HY male in August has completed its preformative molt and replaced lesser, median and greater coverts, the carpal covert and greater alula covert (A1); molt limits are shown between the replaced outer greater covert and innermost primary covert and between the greater alula covert (A1) and lower main alula feather (A2) (red arrows).

Notice the narrow, tapered outer primary coverts relatively abraded and contrasting with the fresher replaced greater coverts and the replaced greater alula covert (A1) contrasting with the retained and more lightly pigmented lower alula feathers.

Tail shape should always be used with caution due to a) individual variation, b) the possibility of accidental loss and replacement (adventitious molt), and c) in Setophaga warblers the shape of the rectrices can be variable with all age classes showing rounded retrices. However, extremes of tail shape can be helpful as in the tail of the HY bird above showing extremely sharply pointed outer rectrices.

Notice also the extensive patch of yellow on R3 (red arrow) on this HY male which is reduced or occasionally absent in HY females.

AHY/ASY

August - July/August