American Redstart 471 



83, p. 159 ; Drew 85, p. 15 ; Beckham 85, p. 141 ; Cooke 97, pp. 19, 

 118, 220 ; 04, p. 132 ; Keyser 02, p. 184 ; Henderson 03, p. 237 ; 09, 

 p. 240 ; Warren 06, p. 24 ; Chapman 07, p. 237 ; Gary 09, p. 183 ; Heraey 

 & Rockwell 09, p. 121. 



Description. — Male — General colour above, including the head all 

 round, and upper- breast black ; wings with a cross-band of salmon ; 

 tail with the four outer pairs of feathers salmon, with black tips, the 

 central pair black, the other pair with salmon on the outer web only ; 

 under-parts white, tinged with salmon, and with a brilhant patch of 

 salmon on either side of the breast ; iris brown, bill black, paler in the 

 fall, legs dark brown. Length 4-8 ; wing 2-5 ; tail 2-25 ; culmen -30 ; 

 tarsus -65. 



The female has the crown and sides of the head grey, and the back 

 olive-green ; the wings and tail slightly washed with the same colour ; 

 the sahnon of wings, tail and breast of the male replaced by yellow ; 

 the tmder-parts from the chin to the under tail-coverts white. Young 

 males in the fall closely resemble the females, and in the following spring 

 show a few black feathers about the chest and head, but do not acquire 

 the full male dress until the second year. 



Distribution. — Breeding from Alaska and Newfoundland to Utah, 

 Kansas and North Carolina, wintering in the West Indies and South 

 America as far as Ecuador and British Guiana. 



In Colorado the Redstart can hardly be described as common, 

 though not infrequently met with along the eastern foothills, especially 

 on the spring migi'ation, and in the mountains up to about 8,000 feet, 

 where it is stated to breed. It is absent, or at any rate quite rare, in 

 the western part of the State. The following are migration records : 

 Fort Lyon, May 14th (Cooke), Pueblo, May 27th (Beckham), El Paso 

 CO., May 18th (Allen & Brewster), Barr Lake, May 10th (Hersey & 

 Rockwell), Boulder, May 31st (Minot), Loveland, May 9th (Cooke), 

 Trippe states that it breeds near Idaho Springs, and Carter (Cooke) 

 in Middle Park, but no details are given. More recently Cary observed 

 a few migrating individuals on the Lower Snake River, twenty miles 

 west of Baggs Crossing, in August. 



Habits. — ^The Redstart frequents parks, groves and 

 deep woods ; it lives largely about tree tops, and flits 

 restlessly about with outspread tail and open wings, 

 making a display of its bright-coloured plumage, darting 

 quickly after a passing insect, and snapping its bill 

 at every capture. 



The nest, according to Goss, is situated in small trees, 

 as a rule from three to even thirty feet above the ground ; 



