- Painted Redstart
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Painted Redstart 
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae Genus: Myioborus Species: M. pictus Binomial name Myioborus pictus
(Swainson, 1829)The Painted Redstart, Myioborus pictus, is a species of New World warbler. It is also known as the Painted Whitestart.
Contents
Taxonomy
When he first described the species in 1829, naturalist William John Swainson assigned it to the genus Setophaga — the same genus as that of the American Redstart — where it remained for nearly a century and a half, though one naturalist placed it in the Old World flycatcher genus Muscicapa during that time.[1] By the mid 1960's, researchers recommended that it be moved to its current genus, Myioborus, based on various similarities with the other whitestarts.[2][3] There are two subspecies, which differ only slightly in appearance:[4]
- M. p. pictus is found from Arizona and New Mexico in the southern United States to Oaxaca and Veracruz in Mexico. Birds in the northern part of the range tend to migrate to the southern parts of the subspecies' range for the winter.
- M. p. guatemalae, which is found from Chiapas in southern Mexico to northern Nicaragua, has little or no white edging on the tertials and less white on the fourth rectrix of the tail. It is non-migratory.[4]
Description
The Painted Redstart is the largest of the whitestarts, measuring 15 cm (5.9 in) in length and weighing between 5.9–9.6 g (0.21–0.34 oz). The sexes are the same in plumage, though males average slightly larger than females. The adult is mostly black, with a bright red lower breast and belly, large white wing patches, white outer tail feathers and white crescents below its eyes. The bill and legs are blackish.[4]
The juvenile Painted Redstart lacks the red belly and glossy black plumage of the adult. It is brownish-gray overall, with a paler belly and undertail coverts, and a pale cream or buff tinge to its wing patches.[4]
Voice
Painted Redstarts are unusual amongst birds, and especially amongst warblers in that the female Painted Redstart is capable of singing just as well as a male, and during spring courtship a pair will often bond by singing together.
Habitat and range
Painted Redstarts are common at heights between 1,500-2,500 m (5,000 to 8,000 feet) and will make their homes in open oak woodlands and canyons in Central America, but will also range as far north as Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, called the Madrean sky islands as well as the Mogollon Rim to the north, (southern regions of the Colorado Plateau). During the summer and winter, these birds may venture as far south as Nicaragua. Recently a Painted Redstart was found further north in California than had ever been recorded, in Auburn, CA, east of Sacramento.[5]
Nesting
Their nesting is done on the ground, and they create their nests so that they will be hidden amongst rocks, roots, or tufts of grass on steeply sloping ground. Their nests are large and shallow, constructed of strips of bark, plant fibers, leaves, and grass. The female will lay 3 or 4 white to cream-colored eggs that are speckled with fine brown and reddish spots. Incubation lasts about 14 days, but other nesting details are largely unknown.
The young Painted Redstart has a deep yellow-orange mouth lining.[6]
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Myioborus pictus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
References
- ^ Ridgway, Robert; Friedmann, Herbert (1901). The birds of North and Middle America. Washington, D.C.: Government Publishing Office. pp. 728–730. http://books.google.com/books?id=WYgaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA759&dq=%22painted+redstart%22+swainson&q=%22painted+redstart%22+swainson&hl=en.
- ^ Parkes, Kenneth C (December 1961). "Taxonomic Relationships Among the American Redstarts" (PDF). The Wilson Bulletin 73 (4): 374–379. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v073n04/p0374-p0379.pdf.
- ^ Ficken, Millicent S; Ficken, Robert W. "Comparative Ethology of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and American Redstart". The Wilson Bulletin 77 (4): 363–375. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v077n04/p0363-p0375.pdf.
- ^ a b c d Curson, John; Quinn, David; Beadle, David (1994). New World Warblers. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 193–4. ISBN 07133639326.
- ^ Thomson, Gus (22 May 2010). "Rare Painted Redstart putting Auburn on the map with birdwatchers". Auburn Journal. http://auburnjournal.com/detail/150614.html. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ^ Ficken, Millicent S. (March 1965). "Mouth Color of Nestling Passerines and Its Use in Taxonomy". The Wilson Bulletin 77 (1): 71–75. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v077n01/p0071-p0075.pdf.
External links
- Stamps (for Nicaragua) with RangeMap
- Painted Redstart photo gallery VIREO (with photo of egg clutch)
- Photo-High Res; Article borderland-tours
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Parulidae
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of Cordillera Neovolcanica Mexico
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of the U.S. Rio Grande Valleys
- Birds of Nicaragua
- Birds of Guatemala
- Birds of El Salvador
- Birds of Honduras
- Western North American migratory birds
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