Species
American redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
A lively black-and-orange warbler that fans its tail and wings to flush insects.
Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 11 to 14 cm long
- Weight
- About 6 to 9 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests and woodland edges
- Diet
- Insects
- In Georgia
- A summer resident in the north; a common migrant
- Voice
- A high, variable song
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Male
- Black with orange patches on the wings, tail and sides
- Female
- Grey-olive with yellow patches
- Told apart from
- Baltimore oriole, which is much larger
- Where to look
- Woodland edges and treetops
Behaviour
Redstarts fan their tails and droop their wings to flush insects, then catch them in flight.
Why they matter
American redstarts have been central to research showing how conditions on wintering grounds affect breeding success the following summer.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup in a tree fork
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Window strikes are common on migration.
Misconceptions
- Young males look like adults. First-year males look like females.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | In the Caribbean and Central America | In the tropics | In the tropics | Arriving | Nesting | Nesting | Young fledging | Migrants | Migrants | Last migrants | In the tropics | In the tropics |
Where it lives
Recorded in 86 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamabreeding
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizona
- Arkansasbreeding
- California
- Coloradobreeding
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridapassing through
- Georgiabreeding
- Idahobreeding
- Illinoisbreeding
- Indianabreeding
- Iowabreeding
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckybreeding
- Louisianabreeding
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippibreeding
- Missouribreeding
- Montanabreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- Nevadabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseybreeding
- New Mexicopassing through
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinabreeding
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiobreeding
- Oklahomapassing through
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolinapassing through
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseebreeding
- Texaspassing through
- Utahbreeding
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiabreeding
- Washingtonbreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
- Wyomingbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Coahuilain winter
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaropassing through
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosipassing through
- Sinaloain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipaspassing through
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal