What does the American Redstart song sound like?
Play the real American Redstart song, the "see-see-see, swee-swee!", and learn what to listen for.
What the American Redstart song sounds like
A quick string of high, thin notes that tumbles out from a treetop. Males repeat it over and over on breeding territory.
“see-see-see, swee-swee!”
Birders often file this one under Bright, wiry song.
How to find the bird singing it
In breeding season, look in open deciduous woods, second growth, and willow or alder thickets, often near water. During migration and winter, it favors forest edges, mangroves, gardens, and shade coffee where insects stay active.
- Bold orange flashes: Adult males look ink-black with big, bright orange patches in the wings, tail, and along the sides of the breast. When the tail fans open, those orange panels pop like tiny flames.
- Soft female pattern: Females and young birds keep the same pattern but trade orange for yellow and black for gray-olive. The colors are gentler, but the flashing tail and wing patches still stand out.
- Always in motion: This bird rarely sits still for long. Watch for quick wing-flicks and a constantly fanned tail as it hops through leaves or darts after insects.
When you'll hear it
Spring
A bright, active migrant in much of the East and Midwest, with males singing wiry songs as they race toward breeding woods.
Summer
Breeding birds fill leafy woods across Canada and the eastern and central U.S. Adult males are at their boldest and loudest now.
Fall
From late summer into fall, they move south through woodland edges and parks. Most continue to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, while some stop to winter in southern Florida.
Winter
Wintering birds are mainly found from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean into northern South America. They also winter regularly in southern Florida, and a few appear in southern California.
Don’t confuse it with
Birds whose song gets mistaken for this one. Play them back to back.
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler is yellow below with a bold black necklace and back pattern, not black-and-orange like an adult male American Redstart.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler is mostly golden yellow overall, often with rusty breast streaks, and lacks the sharp black-and-orange or gray-and-yellow redstart pattern.