American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla

American Redstart has a partial preformative molt, and an absent to limited prealternate molt of body feathers that is usually difficult to detect. Although definitive cycle male American Redstarts have a distinctive plumage, there is a fair amount of overlap among other age/sex classes.  In fall, checking for skull pneumatization is the most reliable way to ensure correct ageing. There are several other criteria that provide clues to age and sex, and in most cases a conclusion can be reached by considering multiple features.

Quick tips

• Look for black plumage - only DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY) males have extensive black; birds with light to moderate black flecking around the head are FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males, and those entirely lacking black are usually females, but may also be FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males.
• Check the side of the breast - females of any age may have yellow patches, while yellow-orange patches are seen on both FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males and DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY) females; some FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males have salmon-orange patches almost as dark as those on DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY) males.
• Compare the nape and back - on females the gray of the head and brown of the back blend together, while on FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males there tends to be a sharp contrast between the gray and brown.
• Examine the third rectrix - on FCF/FCU (HY/SY) females r3 is brown with little to no yellow, on FCF/FCU (HY/SY) males and DCB/DCU (AHY/ASY) females it is usually brown with some to considerable yellow, and occasionally may be yellow across the entire width of the feather; note that rectrix shape varies little by age compared to other passerines.

Species account prepared by McGill Bird Observatory (2016). Last updated by Marcel Gahbauer (Mar 2022)