American Redstart

Description
4 1/2-5 1/2". Male black with bright orange patches on wings and tail; white belly. Females and young birds dull olive-brown above, white below, with yellow wing and tail patches.
Voice
5 or 6 high-pitched notes or 2-note phrases, ending with an upward or downward inflection, chewy-chewy-chewy, chew-chew-chew.
Habitat
Second-growth woodlands; thickets with saplings.
Nesting
4 brown-speckled, dull-white eggs in a well-made cup of grass, bark shreads, plant fibers, and spiderweb lined with fine grass and hair. Nest is placed in a sapling or next to the trunk of a tree.
Other
This is one of the most abundant warblers in North America, because its favored habitat, second-growth woodland, covers such vast areas of the continent. The American Redstart has a distinctive habit of dropping down suddenly in pursuit of a flying insect, then fanning its brightly marked tail from side to side. Only after a full year do males acquire the black-and-orange adult plumage, so it is not unusual to find what appears to be a female singing and displaying like a male.
Picture
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