# American Redstart

*Setophaga ruticilla*

In Latin America, they are known as 'candelita' or 'little torch' because of their bright, flashing orange patches.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Parulidae › Setophaga
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous and mixed forests, often near water or in second-growth woodlands.
- **Diet:** Mainly insects like flies, moths, and beetles; occasionally berries in late summer and winter.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, Northern South America, Caribbean
- **Size:** 11-13 cm length; 6-10 g weight
- **Lifespan:** 2 to 5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss in wintering grounds, window collisions during migration, and outdoor cat predation.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Best viewed through binoculars to avoid disturbing nesting or feeding. If you find a bird stunned by a window strike, place it in a ventilated box and contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The American redstart ( Setophaga ruticilla ) is a New World warbler. It is unrelated to the Old World redstarts.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/0ac53fc3-52fd-4ab1-bb75-6ef4857620f0
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10247
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setophaga ruticilla
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/7764/medium.jpg (Jeremy Meyer, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.