The slate-throated whitestart or slate-throated redstart (''Myioborus miniatus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Parulidae The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Mos ...

native to Central and South America.

Description

The slate-throated whitestart is a long-tailed warbler measuring long. It has a deep rufous head, dark back, and contrasting bright yellow breast, belly and white vent and tail tips. The bill is black, and the legs are blackish-gray. While most of its

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

changes little throughout its large range, the underparts grade from yellow in most of its range, to red in the northernmost part.

Distribution and habitat

It is found disjunctly in humid highland forests, from upper understory to mid

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

, in

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Central America, the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

from western

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

to northwestern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

, the

Venezuelan Coastal Range The Venezuelan Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa or ), also known as Venezuelan Caribbean Mountain System ( es, Sistema Montañoso Caribe) is a mountain range system and one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela, that runs along the c ...

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

and the

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran ...

s. It occurs at around above sea level. In July 2024, a specimen was spotted in the

Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, locally called Stern Grove, is a recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department and is the concert setting for the Stern Grove ...

of San Francisco, California. The sighting was confirmed by multiple birdwatching enthusiasts. This is the furthest north the species has ever been observed.

Behavior

Pairs remain together throughout year, often accompanying mixed flocks. It hops and flits about while flashing its tail to frighten

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

which are then caught in aerial pursuits. It will occasionally take protein corpuscles from ''

Cecropia ''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...

'' plants and will occasionally glean insects from tree bark. The slate-throated whitestart's call note is a sharp "''pik''" note. The song varies with region, although throughout most of range it is a varied series of whistled notes, some slurred up, some slurred down. From April to May, pairs

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

in a bulky, roofed structure with a side entrance, usually nestled in niche in bank or steep slope. The female lays 3, or sometimes 2, speckled white eggs.

Gallery

Slate-throated whitestart (Myioborus miniatus aurantiacus) juvenile.jpg, Juvenile ''M. m. aurantiacus'' Myioborus_miniatus.jpg, A red-bellied individual from the northern part of the range Slate-throated Whitestart.jpg, Adult near Tarcoles, Costa Rica, 18 March 2024

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behavior

Gallery

References

Further reading