The painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus) is a small songbird found in western North America. It is known for its striking black, white and red plumage. The painted Redstart has several key physical characteristics that help identify it. These include its relatively small size, distinctive coloration, long tail, thin bill, and behavior. In this article, we will take a closer look at the various physical features of the painted Redstart.
Size
The painted Redstart is a small-sized songbird, measuring between 4.7-5.5 inches in length and weighing just 0.3–0.4 ounces. This makes it slightly smaller than some sparrows. The wingspan ranges from 7.5-8.7 inches across. So while not the smallest bird out there, the painted Redstart is on the petite side, especially compared to other North American wood-warblers. Their diminutive stature helps them flit quickly through trees and shrubs when foraging.
Plumage
The painted Redstart has one of the most striking plumages of any North American wood-warbler. The male has jet black upperparts from his head down to the tail. This includes the back, wings and tail. The black coloration contrasts sharply with large white patches on the lower belly, flanks and undertail coverts. The male also has a bright red patch in the middle of the otherwise white belly. The red breast patch stands out vividly. The male’s striking plumage pattern makes it easy to identify.
The female painted Redstart has a similar pattern but is duller overall. Her black upperparts are more grayish. The red breast patch is replaced by a pale orange lower breast. And the white on the belly and flanks is dirtier. The female’s subdued colors provide camouflage while nesting.
Juvenile painted Redstarts somewhat resemble females but have buffier bellies and breast with less definition between the upperpart and underpart color zones. With successive molts, younger birds attain more adult-like plumage.
Tail
Another key field mark of the painted Redstart is its relatively long, rounded tail. The tail measures around 2.2-2.6 inches on average. It appears broad at the base when fanned open. Both sexes have black central tail feathers that contrast with the white outer rectrices. The white outer tail feathers are especially noticeable during flight.
The long tail provides balance and maneuverability as the birds hop along branches. Painted Redstarts frequently cock and spread their tails open while foraging. This distinctive tail-flicking behavior seems to flush insects into movement.
Bill
The painted Redstart has a slender, pointed bill that measures 0.5 inches from the tip to the gape. The bill length falls in the middle of the range for North American wood-warblers. It is perfect for capturing small insects and spiders in foliage or on bark crevices.
The bill itself has a dark gray to blackish color on the upper mandible which contrasts with the paler horn color of the lower mandible. This two-toned bill pattern is shared by many other warblers in the region.
Legs and Feet
In keeping with its arboreal habits, the painted Redstart has delicate legs and feet adapted for perching and climbing. The tarsi (lower legs) are grayish black and quite short at around 0.7 inches long.
The toes are arranged three forward, one back to provide sure gripping ability. Each toe has a slender, slightly curved claw for grasping onto perches. Overall, the legs and feet are not especially striking but do reflect subtle adaptations for an active life in the trees.
Behavior
In addition to visual cues, the active foraging and territorial habits of painted Redstarts assist with identification. These birds constantly flit through trees and shrubs picking insects from leaves and crevices in the bark. They spread and pump their tails frequently while feeding.
Painted Redstarts are territorial during the breeding season. Males sing and pursue intruders, with their red breast patch seemingly flashing like a stop sign. So look for active, tail-flicking warblers behaving territorially to find painted Redstarts.
Geographic Range
The painted Redstart is found in the western half of North America, generally west of the Rocky Mountains. Its breeding range extends from southern British Columbia and Alberta southward through the western U.S. into central Mexico.
Some key areas where painted Redstarts nest include:
- Southern interior and coastal British Columbia
- Western Alberta foothills
- Western Montana
- Wyoming
- Colorado
- Utah
- New Mexico
- Arizona
- Transverse and Peninsular Ranges of Southern California
- Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental of Mexico
During migration and winter, painted Redstarts expand their range farther east in the U.S. and down into Mexico. Winter grounds include:
- Eastern slopes of the Rockies in Colorado and New Mexico
- Western Texas
- Southwestern deserts of Arizona and California
- Western Mexico
So in summary, the core breeding range of painted Redstarts lies in mountainous zones of the western U.S. and Mexico. They winter somewhat more broadly across the Southwest and into Mexico.
Habitats
Painted Redstarts use a variety of montane habitats during the breeding season. They are often associated with forest-edge environments rich in shrubs and small trees. Some typical breeding habitats include:
- Ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests
- Aspen groves
- Riparian woodlands lined with cottonwoods and willows
- Oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands
- Chaparral brushlands
Nesting areas usually provide a mix of dense, shrubby vegetation along with adjacent stands of larger trees. The birds often feed along forest edges and openings.
In migration and winter, painted Redstarts use a wider array of habitats including low-elevation desert scrub, savannas, and riparian woodlands. They are quite flexible seasonally in their habitat use.
Nesting
Painted Redstarts begin arriving on their breeding grounds by early May. They usually nest in dense shrubby areas within or adjacent to larger forest stands. Typical nest sites include:
- In the lower branches of small conifers
- On horizontal limbs of aspens and other deciduous trees
- In the fork of willow, alder and other shrubs
- In brush piles and tangles
The female painted Redstart builds the nest. It is an open cup made of grasses, plant fibers, mosses, hair and other fine materials. It is constructed on a supporting foundation of twigs. The inside of the nest is lined with soft materials like animal hair.
Females lay 3-5 eggs that are cream colored with brown speckles. The eggs measure just 0.6 inches long. Only the female incubates the eggs for around 12 days before they hatch.
Both parents feed the nestlings with insects and spiders. The young birds fledge from the nest at 9-12 days old. Painted Redstarts frequently raise 2 broods per season.
Diet
Painted Redstarts are primarily insectivores, feeding on a wide variety of small invertebrates. Major food sources include:
- Spiders
- Caterpillars and moths
- Beetles
- Flies
- Leafhoppers
- Aphids
- Ants
- Bees
- Wasps
- Dragonflies
They constantly glean insects from the surfaces of leaves and needles. They also probe into crevices in bark and wood to find hidden arthropods. Painted Redstarts make short aerial sallies to capture flying insects as well.
In winter, they supplement their diet with small fruit when insects become scarce. But insects undoubtedly make up the vast majority of their annual diet.
Migration
Painted Redstarts are migratory, breeding in the western mountains and foothills then migrating south and east to winter. They begin departing breeding areas by early September. Fall migration peaks in October.
Spring migration starts in late February and runs through May. The birds follow loop migration patterns in spring, traveling north and west back to breeding sites. Banding studies show painted Redstarts exhibit strong site fidelity, returning to prior nesting sites year after year.
Migrating and wintering painted Redstarts form loose flocks, often mixing with other species like Yellow-rumped Warblers. They can turn up widely across the Southwest during migration and winter.
Conservation Status
The painted Redstart has a large breeding distribution across western North America. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 2.5 million birds. Numbers seem to be stable or slightly increasing across most of its range.
Given its large, widespread population, the painted Redstart is considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. It faces no major threats at present. Some local declines have occurred where riparian habitats have been degraded. But most populations appear stable.
Going forward, painted Redstarts may face increased threats from climate change, drought, and habitat loss. But for now, they remain common and secure throughout their range. Protecting mature montane forests and riparian corridors will benefit painted Redstarts into the future.
Conclusion
In summary, the painted Redstart is identified by its diminutive size, striking black, white and red plumage, long rounded tail, and active foraging behavior. It breeds in mountain forests and chaparral mainly in the western U.S. and Mexico. Painted Redstarts thrive in forest edges and dense, shrubby habitat. They migrate south and east in winter across the Southwest. With a large, widespread population, the painted Redstart remains a common species, vulnerable to future habitat changes but not currently under threat. Appreciating the varied physical adaptations of birds like the painted Redstart provides insight into the diversity of life and how species are shaped by their environments.