Slate-throated Redstart Myioborus miniatus

Abstract

Slate-throated Redstart, also known as Slate-throated Whitestart, is the most widespread species in the genus Myioborus. Its range extends from the mountains of northern Mexico through most of Central America, northern South America, and south through the Andes to central Bolivia. Its habitat consists of pine-oak montane and submontane forests in Mexico and northern Central America, and humid montane forest to the south. Slate-throated Redstart prefers forest edges and treefall gaps in primary forest and appears to be highly adaptable to human disturbance. Twelve subspecies currently are recognized, with significant plumage variation existing between subspecies in both color of the underparts and in the extent of white in the outer tail feathers. The color of the breast and belly changes from vivid vermilion red for birds in northern and central Mexico to red orange, orange, and yellow orange in Central America, and to yellow in South America. Geographic variation in the pattern of white in the tail also is substantial, with important consequences for foraging behavior; Slate-throated Redstart is a flush pursuit forager that uses animated displays of the white tail patches to startle insect prey which it then pursues and captures in flight.