Painted Redstart Identification Guide
A striking black warbler with a bold white wing patch and bright red belly, easily recognized by its habit of constantly fanning its tail and spreading its wings while foraging.
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Key Field Marks
- Slender warbler (about 13 cm) with a mostly black head, throat, and upperparts.
- Bold white patch on the folded wing, conspicuous even at rest.
- Bright red to crimson lower breast and belly, sharply set off against the black upperparts.
- White outer tail feathers, flashed prominently when the tail is fanned.
- Small white crescent below the eye on an otherwise black face.
Similar Species
- Slate-throated Redstart (rare stray into the same region): lacks the bold white wing patch, and shows a grayer/slate-toned body rather than solid black upperparts, with dusky (not white) lores.
- American Redstart: patterned in black and orange rather than black and red/white, and is essentially unrelated in range within Painted Redstart's core southwestern habitat.
- The combination of a solid white wing patch and red belly on a black-bodied warbler is unique within its range, making Painted Redstart one of the more distinctive and easily identified warblers once seen.
Habitat, Range & Season
- Found in oak and pine-oak woodland, especially shaded, sycamore-lined canyons in the "sky island" mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, south through the mountains of Mexico to Central America.
- Largely resident/permanent across much of its range, with some local elevational movement in winter.
- Popular and reliable in well-known birding canyons such as Madera Canyon and Cave Creek Canyon in Arizona.
Voice
- Song is a rich, cheerful warbling phrase, often rendered as "wheeta wheeta wheeta wheet."
- Call is a distinctive rising, slurred "wheet" or sharp "chip," frequently given while foraging.
Behavior Notes
- Constantly fans its tail and droops or spreads its wings while foraging, flashing the white tail feathers and wing patch to flush insects — a highly active and characteristic display that aids identification even in poor light.
- Often joins mixed-species foraging flocks and is generally tame and approachable, especially in popular canyon birding locations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most distinctive feature of a Painted Redstart?
A solid black body with a bold white wing patch and a bright red lower breast and belly, combined with a constant habit of fanning the tail and spreading the wings while foraging.
How do you tell Painted Redstart from Slate-throated Redstart?
Painted Redstart has a bold white wing patch and solid black upperparts, while Slate-throated Redstart lacks the white wing patch and shows grayer, slate-toned upperparts with dusky lores.
Where is the best place to see a Painted Redstart?
Shaded oak and pine-oak canyons in the sky island mountains of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, such as Madera Canyon, where it is often present year-round.
Why does a Painted Redstart fan its tail so much?
It flashes its white outer tail feathers and spreads its wings to startle and flush hidden insects out of foliage, a foraging technique that also makes the bird easy to spot in motion.
What does a Painted Redstart sound like?
A rich, cheerful warbling song often written as 'wheeta wheeta wheeta wheet,' along with a rising, slurred 'wheet' call.