Identification - This flashy bird slightly smaller than a sparrow. The male is all coal-black and bright orange-red which shows in along the base of the tail, in the wings, and on the sides of its body. The belly is white. Year old males are olive gray above, often with small patches and flecks of black on the head or back. The tail and wing patches are yellow. There may be a trace of orange on the sides. The redstart often keeps its tail and wings slightly fanned when perched.
Morsels - The American Redstart builds its neat cup-like nest in the forks of short trees or shrubs. The female incubates the eggs. The young remain in the nest nine days after hatching. When an intruder gets near young that have just left the nest, adult redstarts call sharply and move conspicuously, spreading their tails and hopping into full view. Such a distraction display is not deliberately planned, but is the result of the adult bird's mixed flight or fight responses. Sometimes, however, it often is enough to distract the intruder and save the young.
