American Redstart - Photos by Bruce Dayton - American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

ORDER: Passeriformes
FAMILY: Parulidae (Wood Warblers - 50 Species)
SPECIES: American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

American Redstart
The American Redstart gets its name from the male's red tail, which they have the frequent habit of fanning. The male feeds the female while she is on the nest. They both participate in the feeding of the young.
SIZE	Small (4-5”) colorful songbird of the Warbler family.
DESCRIPTION	Glossy black with bright orange patches on wings and tail with white belly and undertail. The females and are dull olive-brown above, white below, with yellow tail.
NESTING	Clutch size ranges from 3-4 eggs, which are incubated in 10 to 12 days. The female builds a woven cup-shaped nest usually in a sapling or shrub.
RANGE	Summer in many of the northern and eastern states and southern Canada. The winter in Central and South America.
HABITAT	They habitat hardwood forests, open woodlands and scrub areas, often near water.
DIET	Almost exclusively insects, such as flies, wasps, beetles, moths, and caterpillars. They will eat berries and seeds when insects are scarce.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.


Female	Male




American Redstart Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes