All about American redstart

The American redstart lives in a variety of habitats: it frequents deciduous and tropical forests, mangroves, savannahs, suburban areas and mixed forests. In winter, the redstart migrates to light woodlands and scrub habitats from the southern U.S. to South America and also in Jamaica. In Venezuela, adult male redstarts are found in forests, while females and young males prefer mangroves.

Did you now? know?
• When incubating, the American redstart turns the eggs once every 8 minutes. This ensures that there is equal heating throughout the eggs and prevents embryonic membranes from sticking to the inner surface of the shell.
• The redstart is one of the most common victims of the cowbird, which lays its eggs in the redstart’s nest. The cowbird chicks are then raised by the redstart.
• Latin Americans refer to the redstart as candelita, or little torch, because of its flashes of red and orange.