The American Redstart 



indications certainly point that way, but we shall never know for sure 

 until leg-banded specimens are traced. 



No. 101 



American Redstart 



A. O. U. No. 687. Setophaga ruticilla (Linnanis). 



Description. — Adult male: Head and neck all around, breast and upperparts, 

 glossy black, shading on wings and tail into glossless brownish black; a large patch on 

 sides of breast, sides, axillars, lining of wings, basal half of secondaries, and basal portion 

 of primaries upon outer edge, coalescing in a conspicuous patch, and basal two-thirds 

 of tail (except central pair of rectrices) reddish orange, the color purest and deepest 

 (mikado orange) on breast-patches and axillars, elsewhere paler (capucine orange) ; 

 lower breast, belly and crissum sordid whitish or grayish, more or less tinged with 

 orange; under tail-coverts broadly tipped with dusky. Bill blackish; feet dark brown. 

 Adult female: Quite different: the orange patches of male replaced by dull yellow — 

 wax-yellow on breast spots; amber-yellow, straw-yellow, or barium-yellow elsewhere; 

 head above, shading on sides, deep mouse-gray; remaining upperparts olive or yel- 

 lowish olive; remaining underparts white or dull buffy white. Immature male: Like 

 adult female. This plumage is usually held through the first spring, and is then 

 distinguished from that of adult female by some irruption of black on breast, by a lesser 

 exposure of yellow on wing, and sometimes by increase of yellow on breast. Im- 

 mature female: Much like adult female, but yellow patch of wing reduced in area of 

 exposure or entirely covered. Length of adult 127-146. 1 (5.00-5.75); wing 65.8 (2.59); 

 tail 55.1 (2.17); bill 9.1 (.36); tarsus 18 (.71). Females average smaller. 



Recognition Marks. — Medium warbler size; black with salmon-red and sal- 

 mon patches of male; similar pattern and duller colors of female and young; tail usually 

 half open and prominently displayed, whether in sport or in ordinary flight. 



Nesting. — Not known to breed in California, but possibly does so. Nest: 

 in the fork of a sapling, from five to fifteen feet up, of hemp and other vegetable fibers, 

 fine bark, and grasses, lined with fine grasses, plant-down and horsehair. Eggs: 

 4 or 5; greenish-, bluish-, or grayish-white, dotted and spotted, chiefly about larger 

 end, with cinnamon-rufous or olive-brown. Av. size 17.3 x 13 (.68 x .51). Season: 

 June; one brood. 



General Range. — Temperate North America in general, regularly north to 

 Nova Scotia, the Mackenzie River (Fort Simpson), etc., west to southern Alaska, 

 British Columbia, eastern Washington, Utah, etc., casual in eastern Oregon, northern 

 California, and in the southeastern states; breeding from the middle portion of the 

 United States northward; south in winter throughout West Indies, Mexico and 

 Central America to northern South America. 



Occurrence in California. — A little-known visitor, casual or rare; four pub- 

 lished records as follows: Haywards, a male (taken), June 20, 1881, by W. O. Emer- 

 son; Marysville Buttes, male (seen), June 6, 1884, by Lyman Belding; Pasadena, 

 female (found dead), Dec. 27, 1905, by P. I. Osburn; Farallon Islands, a 2nd year 



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