BEDSTART 309 



Redstart ; SetopTiaga ruticilla. 

 (See Fig-. 195, p. 348.) 



Adult 7nale, black, with salmon on breast, wings, and tail ; belly 

 whitish. Adult female and young^ brownish gray instead of 

 black, yellow instead of salmon. The male is three years in 

 attaining full plumage. Length, about 5^ inches. 



Geographic Distribution. — North America ; breeds from. 

 Kansas and North Carolina north to Labrador and Fort Simp- 

 son ; winters in the tropics. 



The Redstart is the Warbler you are perhaps 

 most likely to see on a walk in the woods. It 

 can never be mistaken for any of its family, wdiich 

 is a great and shining virtue to be possessed by 

 a Warbler ! The jet-black upper parts and the 

 salmon patches on the breast and tail of the male, 

 and also the soft yellow that replaces them in the 

 female, show clearly as the birds flit about the 

 branches, or suddenly drop down through the air 

 in pursuit of some hapless insect. Another good 

 field character is the long tail of the restless lit- 

 tle bird, for it is constantly opened and shut, like 

 a gaudy fan. 



The Redstart has two songs, one that hurries 

 to its accented close, and a simpler one that sug- 

 gests the see-see-see-see of the Black and White 

 Creeper. 



It is interesting to hear that in Cuba, where the 

 Warblers are called ' mariposas,' — butterflies, — 

 this one, from its brilliant colors, is called by the 

 pretty name of ' Candelita,' meaning the little 



