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American Redstart
(Setophaga ruticilla)
Adult Male Banded May 13, 1996
Adult Female Banded September 4, 1997
Carmel, Indiana
General Information
The American Redstart is a Neotropical migrant resident in Central
America, northwestern South America and the West Indies. It feeds flycatcher-like,
sallying forth to catch insects, or gleaning them from vegetation. The rictal bristles
around a broad based bill attest to this flycatcher-like behavior (Fig. 9).
In the spring, they cross the Gulf of Mexico on their migration to
northern and eastern North America, usually arriving on their breeding grounds in early to
mid April. After raising a single brood, they begin their southward journey in
August/September. They move to the Gulf Coast before crossing the Gulf of Mexico or
following the Caribbean Coast of Mexico or the West Indies island chain to their wintering
grounds.
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| Adult Male |
Figure 1 - Adult Male
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Figure 2 - Adult Male
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Adult Male
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The males obtain their spectacular adult
black, orange and white plumage after two years. (Figures 1 to 3). Young males and adult
females look very similar, but the males usually show a brighter orange or salmon color on
the breast sides. An adult female in the fall (shown below) can be usually separated from
the first year male by a careful examination of the head, wings and tail (Figs. 4 to 8).
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Figure 3 - Adult Male
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Figure 4 - Adult Female
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The absence of black feathers on the head,
the lack of contrast between the yellow on the breast sides and the yellow on the under
wing coverts (Figs. 5 & 7), the extensive amount of yellow on the upper wing (Fig. 6)
and on rectrix 3 (Fig. 8) identify this individual as an adult female. Note, however, that
a some females in a population may exhibit plumage characteristics of a younger male.
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Adult Female |
Figure 5 - Adult Female
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Figure 6 - Adult Female Wing
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Examine the upper wing and note the amount of
yellow on the flight feathers. |
Note the lack of contrast between the yellow
on the breast and the yellow on the underwing coverts. A young male would show some orange
or salmon color on the breast. |
Figure 7 - Female Under Wing
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Figure 8 - Female Rectrices
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The tail pattern of the adult female is
similar to that of the male. The adult female has extensive yellow on rectrices 3 and 2. |
The rictal bristles and the broad based bill
attest to the flycatcher-like lifestyle of the American Redstart. The rictal bristles are
modified contour feathers that function as sensors to help the bird capture flying
insects.
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Figure 9 - Rictal Bristles
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Nesting Behavior
This species selects open deciduous or mixed primary or secondary forest where the
female builds an open cup nest of grasses, dead leaves, strips of bark, and other plant
material lined with fine plant materials and animal hair. The nest may be placed from 2 to
15 or more feet above the ground. Three to 5 creamy white eggs with brown splotches are
incubated by the female. Young are fed by both parents, and leave the nest at about 9 days
old.
Banding Recoveries
According to records at the Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel MD, a total 243,267
American Redstarts have been banded since 1955. Of these, only 239 have been recovered.
This is a recovery rate of 0.098%
Conservation Status
This species is commonly seen especially during its migration periods. Breeding Bird
Census data shows that populations have been declining, but it is not known if this is a
cyclical trend or a sign of something more ominous. Christmas Bird Count data shows a
population increase.
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All images are courtesy of CWBO. All image copyrights are owned by CWBO.
Any use of these images must have permission of CWBO. |
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