The American Redstart is a small, active warbler found throughout North America. These birds are known for their distinctive orange and black plumage and habit of fanning their tails. Redstarts breed in deciduous and mixed forests across the continent and winter primarily in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Avid bird watchers prize sightings of these striking birds during spring and fall migration. Luckily, American Redstarts can be found in suitable habitat across their breeding and wintering ranges if you know where to look.
Where to Find American Redstarts – Breeding Range
During the spring and summer breeding season, American Redstarts occupy a broad swath of North America. They breed across southern Canada and the northern half of the United States. Their breeding range extends as far north as central Alaska and across Canada to Nova Scotia. To the south, their range reaches northern Georgia and Arkansas.
Within their expansive breeding range, American Redstarts favor deciduous and mixed forests with a dense understory. They especially thrive in habitats that provide a mix of deciduous trees, conifers, shrubs, and openings. Key characteristics of prime redstart breeding habitat include:
- Presence of tall deciduous trees like oaks, maples, and aspens
- Scattered conifers such as spruces, firs, and pines
- Dense understory vegetation including shrubs and saplings
- Openings in the canopy that allow light to filter through
- Proximity to water, either streams, ponds, or wetlands
During the breeding season, American Redstarts sing and forage from the middle canopy layer down through the understory. They perch and flutter among branches as they chase down insects.
Some top places to spot American Redstarts on their breeding grounds from May through July include:
Boreal Forests of Canada and Alaska
The boreal forest biome stretching across Canada into Alaska offers prime redstart habitat. In particular, look for them in stands of spruce, fir, aspen, birch, and willows. Popular birding spots in the boreal zone include Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska and Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario which attracts migrating redstarts.
Northern Hardwood Forests of the Northeastern U.S.
In the northeastern United States, redstarts breed in transition zones between boreal forest and broadleaf deciduous forest. Search for them among the oaks, maples, and conifers of New England. The Adirondack Mountains and Green Mountains host breeding populations.
Upper Midwest Oak Savannas and Forests
Farther west, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan provide excellent redstart habitat in oak savannas, oak-hickory forests, and bottomland hardwood forests. Superior National Forest in Minnesota and several state parks and forests in Wisconsin offer sightings.
Appalachian Mountains
The dense mixed mesophytic forests that coat the Appalachians from Pennsylvania down to Georgia contain redstarts during summer. Target ridgetops with creeks nearby. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a prime spot.
Western Mountain Ranges
At higher elevations in the western mountains, redstarts breed in moist aspen groves and ponderosa pine forests. Try searching in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico.
Winter Range in Central America, Caribbean, and South America
American Redstarts spend their winters in the Neotropics, ranging through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. They occur in a variety of tropical and subtropical ecosystems.
During winter, redstarts frequent forest edges, second growth, scrubby fields, gardens, and any habitat with dense vegetation. They forage lower in the vegetation, down to ground level.
Some top locations for finding overwintering American Redstarts include:
Caribbean Islands
The Caribbean islands host wintering redstarts in forests and plantations. Hotspots include Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
Central America
Mainland Central America provides winter habitat from southern Mexico through Panama. Redstarts concentrate along the Caribbean slope but also inhabit the interior highlands. Productive areas to search are forest reserves in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Northern South America
In South America, redstarts overwinter south to Venezuela and Colombia on the Caribbean coast and south to Ecuador and Peru on the Pacific side. Protected forests scattered across these regions offer sightings.
When and Where to See American Redstarts on Migration
One of the best times to spot American Redstarts is during spring or fall migration along their travel routes between breeding and wintering grounds. Timing your search based on peak migration times will increase your chances.
Here is an overview of redstart migration patterns and hotspots:
Spring Migration
American Redstarts depart their Central and South American wintering areas beginning in March. They stream north through Mexico and the U.S. Gulf Coast states throughout April. By May, the bulk arrive on their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada.
Coastal areas and migratory stopover sites see pulses of redstarts in April and May. Try woodlands and parks in Texas, Louisiana, and along the U.S. Atlantic Coast from Florida to Maine.
Fall Migration
In late summer and early fall, American Redstarts begin moving south again towards their tropical wintering range. They start leaving their northern breeding areas as early as late July and August.
September brings big waves of redstarts through the eastern U.S. They congregate in pockets of woodland habitat along the Atlantic coastline and Appalachians. Central and South America see arrivals beginning in September and continuing into November.
How to Find American Redstarts – Search Tips and Techniques
Searching for American Redstarts requires a combination of habitat knowledge, timing, patience, and birding skills. Here are some tips to improve your chances of spotting these active warblers:
- Learn their distinctive chip and call notes so you can detect them by ear
- Scan movement in the understory and mid-level branches where they forage
- Try pishing sounds to call them in for closer looks
- Use birding apps to pinpoint sightings reports and migration counts
- Bring binoculars to get diagnostic views of their color patterns
- Improve identification by studying photos and videos of redstarts
While breeding, the males sing a distinctive high-pitched series of chips and buzzy trills. Females give lower, whistled calls. In winter, they make a sharp “chip” contact call. With practice, birders can learn these vocalizations to detect redstarts.
Visually scanning vegetation in their preferred habitat and stratum provides views. Their constant motion as they spread their orange-and-black tails gives them away. With patience, you can track an individual. Binoculars help discern the brilliant breeding plumage of males.
Apps like eBird track sightings reported by birders. Checking recent logs can reveal migration stopovers and wintering hotspots. Joining guided birding tours takes advantage of local expertise.
Conclusion
American Redstarts breed across northern North America and winter in the tropics but birds pass through much of the continent during migration. By understanding their habitat preferences, range, timing, behavior, and sounds you can increase your chances of crossing paths with these striking warblers. Armed with the knowledge of where and when to search, you may get lucky and spot splash of orange dancing among the leaves. With persistence and the right approach, you can enjoy sighting American Redstarts passing through your area.
