Redstart
Redstart, a vivacious little bird, four to six inches (10 to 15 cm) long, that is found in open woods in North America. Liveliest of all the wood warblers, the redstart is in almost constant motion. When perched, it spreads its tail and droops its wings. Its chief food consists of insects, which it catches on the wing.
The male is glossy black above and white below, and has brilliant orange-red patches on its wings and tail and at the sides of its breast and upper abdomen. The female is olive-brown above and white below, with yellow instead of orange-red patches.
The redstart breeds over most of North America except on the Pacific Coast. Its nest, built in the fork of a tree or shrub, is made of plant fibers bound with spider web. The female lays three to five eggs that are creamy-white and blotched with brown, or purple.
The American redstart is Setophaga ruticilla of the wood warbler family, Parulidae.