American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
These birds travel from as far south as northern South America in winter, to as far north as northwestern and eastern Canada during the breeding season. Rarely do they visit the western USA, except in the mountainous regions in the far north. These birds are far more common in the eastern USA. When the breeding season is over, American Redstarts travel south, staying in southern Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Southern Baja California (Mexico) is another location where we find them in winter.
When foraging, American Redstarts appear as sparks or flickering flames in the canopy as they search for their insect prey. Constantly in motion, they are challenging subjects to photograph while feeding.
Breeding season finds these birds in second growth broadleaf forests in North America, where they usually stay in the mid to lower sections of the canopy. In winter they seek woody habitats, often near agriculture. Shade-grown coffee plantations seem to be especially attractive to them.
To date, all my meetings with this species have been in south Texas. Laguna Atascosa NWR provided me with my first meeting with this species in spring 2020. That was a male bird. I met my first female bird in spring of 2021 on South Padre Island.
Today’s science recognises two subspecies of American Redstart:
- S. r. ruticilla breeds in the eastern USA.
- S. r. tricolora breeds across Canada and the northwestern USA.
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: This was my first meeting with the American Redstart. If you study the images you may see a tick attached to the bird's neck. Atascosa NWR was a short drive from my camp in Brownsville, Texas, and remained open during the COVID-19 crisis, when many other nearby birding hotspots shut down. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:20 16:37 |
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Location:
Atascosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D505140-Atascosa-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: This was my first meeting with the American Redstart. If you study the images you may see a tick attached to the bird's neck. Atascosa NWR was a short drive from my camp in Brownsville, Texas, and remained open during the COVID-19 crisis, when many other nearby birding hotspots shut down. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:20 16:40 |
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Location:
Atascosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D505158-Atascosa-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: This was my first meeting with the American Redstart. If you study the images you may see a tick attached to the bird's neck. Atascosa NWR was a short drive from my camp in Brownsville, Texas, and remained open during the COVID-19 crisis, when many other nearby birding hotspots shut down. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:20 16:41 |
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Location:
Atascosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D505183-Atascosa-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: American Redstarts are elusive subjects to photograph as they forage in the spring foliage of the Texas trees. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 9:25 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D509827-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: American Redstarts are elusive subjects to photograph as they forage in the spring foliage of the Texas trees. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 9:25 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D509831-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: This was my first meeting with the American Redstart. If you study the images you may see a tick attached to the bird's neck. Atascosa NWR was a short drive from my camp in Brownsville, Texas, and remained open during the COVID-19 crisis, when many other nearby birding hotspots shut down. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:20 16:16 |
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Location:
Atascosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D505083-Atascosa-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: Like flames flickering in the trees, these birds flash their colors to startle insect prey into revealing their presence by their movement. Spring visits to South Padre Island can produce unexpected results. Sometimes there are lulls in the migration, and other times there are spikes. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:29 15:36 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X3537_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: Even in bad light, this female redstart looked good! Having finished with the Great Texas Birding Classic on Sunday, I was eager to return to South Padre Island, where I knew Green Herons were raising families at the Bird and Nature Center. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:27 13:12 |
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Location:
South Padre Island WBC |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X2565_SPI-NatureCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: The Redstarts here continued their attack on tiny insects, with males on the ground and the females in the trees. My stay at the Convention Centre was relatively brief this Thursday. There was a lull in the migration, but even on a slow day good things can occur here. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:22 9:52 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X0694SPI_ConventionCentre |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: Redstarts flash their brightly colored feathers to startle insects and capture them when they see movement. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 16:33 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X8966-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: Redstarts flash their brightly colored feathers to startle insects and capture them when they see movement. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 16:33 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X8952-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: Redstarts flash their brightly colored feathers to startle insects and capture them when they see movement. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 17:37 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X9189-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: The movement of these birds through to foliage appears as a flickering flame. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 12:28 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X6580-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: Redstarts flash their brightly colored feathers to startle insects and capture them when they see movement. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 14:22 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X8179-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
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Description: Redstarts continue to delight visitors here. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 11:11 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X4587_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: Redstarts continue to delight visitors here. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 11:17 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X4615_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: Redstarts continue to delight visitors here. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 15:42 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/180 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X5044_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Redstart(Setophaga ruticilla) |
|
Description: American Redstarts have a flamboyant style of foraging that makes spotting them in the canopy relatively easy. Tuesday’s birds at South Padre Island (Texas) were all great birds for me, but most of us at the Convention Center expected overnight north winds to provide a feast on Wednesday for interested birders. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:04 13:47 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: AmericanRedstart_D5X5689_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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