American Redstart
Encyclopedia
The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is a New World warbler
. It is the only member
of its genus and is unrelated to the Old World redstart
s. It derives its name from the male's red tail, start being an old word for tail.
, across southern Canada
and the eastern USA. These birds are migratory
, wintering in Central America
, the West Indies, and northern South America
(in Venezuela they are called "candelitas"). They are very rare vagrants to western Europe
.
American redstarts display a mixed mating strategy; they are predominantly monogamous
but around 25% of males maintain multiple territories and are polygynous
. Even within monogamous pairs, a high proportion of offspring - as many as 40% - are not fathered by the male of the pair. The intensity of the males' coloration (which is due to carotenoid
pigments) predicts their success at holding territory in their non-breeding, winter locations in the Caribbean
, the probability that they will be polygynous, and the proportion of offspring in their nests that they will themselves father.
s which are usually caught by flycatching. American Redstarts also have been known to catch their insect prey by gleaning
it from leaves. This is a very active species. The tail is often held partly fanned out. These birds have been observed flashing the orange and yellow of their tails, on and off, to startle and chase insects from the underbrush.
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
. It is the only member
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
of its genus and is unrelated to the Old World redstart
Redstart
Redstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family , but are now known to be part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae...
s. It derives its name from the male's red tail, start being an old word for tail.
Description
The American Redstart is 12 cm long and weighs 8.5 g. The breeding males are unmistakable, jet black above apart from large orange-red patches on their wings and tails. Their breast sides are also orange, with the rest of their underparts colored white. In their other plumages, American Redstarts display green in their upperparts, along with black central tails and grey heads. The orange patches of the breeding males are replaced by yellow in the plumages of the females and young birds. Their song is a series of musical see notes. Their call is a soft chip.Distribution and habitat
They breed in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, across southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the eastern USA. These birds are migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, wintering in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the West Indies, and northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(in Venezuela they are called "candelitas"). They are very rare vagrants to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Breeding
The breeding habitats of the redstarts are open woodlands or scrub, often located near water. They nest in the lower part of a bush, laying 2-5 eggs in a neat cup-shaped nest.American redstarts display a mixed mating strategy; they are predominantly monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
but around 25% of males maintain multiple territories and are polygynous
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
. Even within monogamous pairs, a high proportion of offspring - as many as 40% - are not fathered by the male of the pair. The intensity of the males' coloration (which is due to carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
pigments) predicts their success at holding territory in their non-breeding, winter locations in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, the probability that they will be polygynous, and the proportion of offspring in their nests that they will themselves father.
Feeding
The redstarts feed on insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s which are usually caught by flycatching. American Redstarts also have been known to catch their insect prey by gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
it from leaves. This is a very active species. The tail is often held partly fanned out. These birds have been observed flashing the orange and yellow of their tails, on and off, to startle and chase insects from the underbrush.
External links
- American Redstart Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- American Redstart Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- American Redstart Bird Sound