324 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



have been a migrant. At Castleberry several were noted 

 June 1, 1911, and in the big swamps on the lower Tensaw 

 Hiver between Hurricane and Stiggins Lake I found it fairly 

 -common the last week in May. A nest with two fresh eggs 

 Tvas found by L. S. Golsan, near Booth, May 12, 1923.** The 

 first arrivals in spring were seen at Tidewater (Tuscaloosa 

 ■County), April 6 (1912) ; Barachias, April 7 (1913) ; Greens- 

 boro, April 13 (1889) ; Leighton, April 13 (1892) ; and Sand 

 Mountain (near Carpenter), April 23 (1914). The last in 

 .autumn were noted at Leighton, October 11 (1893), and at 

 Crreensboro, October 15 (1890) . 



General habits. — ^This attractive little warbler is a lover of 

 heavy timber tracts, both in the swampy river bottoms and 

 on the uplands, and dwells chiefly in the higher parts of the 

 trees. It has something of the habits of the flycatchers, but 

 is more active in pursuit of its insect prey, darting and whirl- 

 ing madly about in the foliage, displaying to good advantage 

 the brilliant markings of its plumage. The spreading of the 

 tail, which reveals the orange markings, is especially notice- 

 :able, and the trick of half raising the wings adds grace to the 

 ^bird's movements. 



The song is a hurried utterance which Langille aptly com- 

 pares to the sound produced by blowing through a little cir- 

 cular tin whistle which is held between the lips and teeth, the 

 air being alternately inhaled and exhaled. The notes are all 

 staccato and the last or next to the last usually strongly ac- 

 cented. The nest is placed in the crotch of a small tree or 

 sapling, often next to the trunk, from 6 to 30 feet above the 

 ground. It is compactly woven of plant fibers, shreds of bark, 

 fine grasses, and plant down, and lined with fine grasses, 

 rootlets, and sometimes hair or feathers. 



Food habits. — Forbush, writing of the food of this bird, 

 says: 



The insect food of the Redstart is perhaps more varied than 

 that of any other common Warbler. Apparently there are 

 few forest insects of small size that do not, in some of their 

 forms, fall a prey to this bird. Caterpillars that escape some 

 of the slower birds by spinning down from the branches and 



•*Holt, E. G., The Auk, vol. 41, pj). 162-16S, 1924. 



