American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

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American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
Photo credit: Arthur Grosset

Length: 4.5-5.5 in.
Habitat: Second-growth woodlands; thickets with saplings.
Range: Breeds from SE Alaska, central Minnesota, central Quebec, and Newfoundland south to Georgia, S.Louisiana, SE. Oklahoma, Colorado, and N. California. Winters in from Mexico to South America.

Its call is 5 or 6 high-pitched notes or 2-note phrases, ending with an upward or downward inflection: chewy-chewy-chewy, chew-chew-chew.

The American Redstart male is black with bright orange patches on wings and tail; the belly is white. Females and young birds are dull olive-brown above, white below, with yellow wing and tail patches.

This is one of the most abundant birds in North America, because its favorite habitat—second-growth woodland—covers such vast areas of the continent. The American Redstart has a distinctive habit of dropping down suddenly in pursuit of a flying insect, then fanning its brightly marked tail from side to side. It takes a full year for the males to acquire the black-and-orange adult plumage, so it is not quite unusual to find what appears to be a female singing and displaying like a male.