June 13, 2009 - Even
though the American Redstart is considered the most common and
widespread breeding warbler in the state of New York, we were very
excited to have our first one in the backyard. At first glance we
thought we saw a female, but further study of the bird books and the
photos showed that our bird was a first year juvenile. He
won't get his orange and black Halloween colors until next year.
The orangier tint and the start of black
mottling on the chest indicated this was probably a juvenile male.
The one picture, though not the best, shows the dropped wings and
fanning of the tail just before he left in search of flying insects.
He was perched on the dead branch we placed in
front of our usual picture taking window. We almost didn't notice
him among the dozen goldfinches waiting their turn at a sunflower
seed feeder. We were thrilled to see we got some clear photos,
in spite of the excitement and the fumbling with the monopod height,
and then the tricky lens adjustments.
The American Redstart was given this name because 'start' is an old
English word meaning tail and the red comes from the reddish orange of
the mature male. At the wintering areas in the US he is called
"Butterfly Bird" because of his flittering about snatching insects.
In Central America he goes by "candelita" which means little candle,
perhaps due to their flickering and flashing of orange and yellow, which
resembles candle light. Whatever the name, the birds are beautiful.
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Size:
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Length: 5-5.25 in Weight:
.29-.3 oz
Wingspan: 7.75-8 in
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ID:
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Male: Mostly glossy
black; bright orange at fore shoulder, and bases of remiges
(wing flight feathers) and rectrices (long flight feathers of
the tail); short, pointed, black beak; undertail coverts and
belly white; rictal bristles (stiff hair-like feathers) next to
beak (helps to hawk flying insects); black feet anisodactylous (three toes point forward and one toe
points backward)
Female: Upperparts dull olive gray; top of
head grayer than back; yellow patches where male is orange;
white eye ring and supercilium (area between eye ring and crown
of head; white underparts from throat to covert (base of tail)
Juvenile: Similar to adult female; young male
has some black mottling and may be tinged with orange;
develops full male plumage by second year; young
female has less yellow on wings, tail and sides of breast than
adult female
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Habitat:
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Open forest, woodland edges with bushes and saplings; dense
undergrowth; usually near water
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Diet:
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Gleans foliage (leaves, buds and branches) for insects and
spiders; hawks for flying insects from perches; droops wings and
fans and raises tail to flush out insects; can hover glean; some fruit, berries
and seeds; not a feeder bird
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and
solitary; 1
brood per year
Local Breeding Period: Late May to early
June
Nests: Cup shaped; built by female; made of
bark, grass, rootlets and lined with weed stem, feathers and
hair; placed in crotch of tree or bush
Eggs: 2-5 off-white with brown or
gray markings; mostly female incubates
11-12 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked,
eyes closed) and stay in nest 9 days; fed by both parents
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Social Activities:
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Likely to come to birdbath; highly active flashing wings and
tail patches; erratic looking flight pattern; tame
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Range:
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Breeding: Southern Canada, northern and southeast US
Winter: migrates to southern tip of Texas and Florida,
Mexico, Central and South America
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Vocalization:
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Only male sings; sings often and varies the songs; usually
4-8 notes with a lower ending; tsee tsee tsee tsee tzirr; call
is thin, sweet chip
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Lifespan: |
Up to 10 years |
