Today was a stay at home day, so we were able to take a closer look at yesterday's photos. After further review of our field guide, we discovered we had spotted an American Redstart in Sarasota. They breed in North America, across southern Canada and the eastern U.S. They winter in Central America, northern South America and the West Indies. The American Redstart is a migratory warbler.
The identification of the adult male American Redstart is unmistakable. A stunning bird, black overall with large bright orange patches on his shoulders, flanks, wings and tail, with white underparts. The female has the same markings but she is light grey or olive overall with yellow patches and gray or white underparts. Females show a faint, thin eye ring. Juveniles or immature American Redstarts resemble the adult female.
American Redstarts feed almost exclusively on insects. They are known to catch insects by gleaning them from leaves. This is a very active species. The tail is often held partly fanned out. They have been observed flashing the orange and yellow of their tails, on and off, to startle and chase insects from the underbrush. Enjoy these photos of the American Redstart. Gotta love warblers.....tweet.....tweet!!
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| American Redstart (1st winter plumage) (Taken 9/22/12, Sarasota FL) |
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| American Redstart (adult male) (Taken 4/25/12, Stump Pass, Englewood FL) |
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