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American Redstart
Adult male--Upper parts black; patch on the wing and basal half of tail feathers (except those in the middle) yellowish red; under parts, throat and upper part of breast black; sides bright orange red; belly white.
Adult female--Upper parts greenish gray; under parts white; instead of orange yellow on the sides, wing, and tail, the female has light yellow. Length--5.41.
Breeding Range--Throughout the Eastern States, from North Carolina northward.
The nest is placed either in a crotch or on a branch against the tree trunk, at a height of from five to thirty feet from the ground. It is a beautiful, neat, cup-shaped nest, about two inches inside diameter, and one inch deep. the materials used in its construction are fine dried grass, a silver-coloured vegetable fibre, plant down, and thin strips of bark, with a lining of fine grass and hair. 3 or 4 and sometimes 5 eggs are laid; they are white or whitish, with spots and small blotches of reddish brown and lilac chiefly at the larger end. Size--.66 x .51.
In the damp woodland these beautiful warblers may be seen darting through the rich mass of green foliage like tiny flashes of fire. The rare combination of black and flame colour, together with their habit of constantly spreading their tail, renders them easy of identification. They are seldom seen on the ground except when in search of food for their young. The breeding season begins towards the end of May.