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Painted Redstart

Silhouette WarblersWarblers
Painted RedstartMyioborus pictus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Parulidae

Basic Description

A bit of a show-off, the scarlet-bellied Painted Redstart constantly flashes its black-and-white wings and fans its tail while foraging. As it hops and pivots along tree branches, startled insects flush out of their hiding places, whereupon the redstart snatches them up in its bill. Despite such conspicuous plumage and behavior, this warbler of montane pine-oak forests of the southwestern United States and Mexico is typically heard before it is seen. Unlike many other warblers, males and females look the same and females sometimes sing.

More ID Info
image of range map for Painted Redstart
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

Painted Redstarts are showy birds that are relatively easy to hear and see in shady canyons of the southwest U.S. and Middle America. Look for white flashes as they flick their wings and tail while foraging along tree branches. Their song is distinctive, and their call even more so, resembling the distinctive flight call of a Pine Siskin. In the U.S., a classic place to look for Painted Redstarts is in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains.

Other Names

  • Candelita Aliblanca (Spanish)
  • Paruline à ailes blanches (French)

Backyard Tips

Painted Redstarts are attracted year-round to sugar-water feeders (such as hummingbird feeders). In winter, they sometimes eat peanut butter and suet mixtures.

  • Cool Facts