Flash! Start!

American Redstarts are migratory warblers found across parts of North America. They winter in the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America. These little cuties are named for their tails. Wait, what?

In Old English, the word for tail was steort, or start. Though the American Redstart's tail feathers are more orange than red, we can at least understand from where the 'start' part of the name comes. There is an entire family of birds found in the Old World known as redstarts. These are flycatchers, not warblers. American Redstarts are warblers, but they feed mainly by flycatching. Confused yet? If you were an insect, you might be. American Redstarts flare their tails to flash, startle and confuse potential prey items (insects). Both males and females do this, as you can see in the below photos.

American Redstart
American Redstart [male] by Wildreturn
American Redstart (female)
American Redstart (female) by Jeremy Meyer

The American Redstart was added to Birdorable on October 18, 2012. If you can't get enough of these flashy little warblers, be sure to check out our great collection of American Redstart t-shirts and gifts!

Comments

Stuart Murray on May 27, 2016 at 10:16 PM wrote:
Saw one of these in a lilac bush at our farm in SW Saskatchewan!
Bird king🦉🦅🐤🐦🐧🐔🐣🐥🦆 on September 25, 2017 at 2:29 PM wrote:
😍 LOVEIT
Spurwing Plover on July 5, 2022 at 2:59 AM wrote:
I do beleive their related to the Warblers

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published
You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

You Can't Spell PLOVERS without LOVE

Everybody loves plovers, they are the cutest thing on the planet, and you can't spell Plovers without "Love". Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and if you're looking for some cute heart-themed gifts for your special birder then check...

Understanding the Common Cuckoo’s Unique Lifestyle

Happy December! As our Birdorable Bonanza 2024 starts to wind down, we're adding a tricky bird native to a wide range across the Old World: it's the Common Cuckoo! The Common Cuckoo is a fascinating bird known for its unique breeding behavior and its iconic two-note call, which signals...

T-Shirt Tuesday: Flamingo Edition

It's Flamingo Week and we're sharing some new Flamingo t-shirts for our T-Shirt Tuesday!

Birdorable’s Year in Review: Fun Stats from the Past Year

As the year comes to a close, we’re looking back at some fun Birdorable stats from the past 12 months. From new bird designs to exciting blog posts and more cute bird-themed goodies, here’s 2024 by the numbers: 39 New Bird Species Added We added a colorful variety of new...