October's Bird of the Month: American Redstart

Photo: American Redstart//Wikimedia Commons

   The adult male American Redstart is the quintessential Halloween bird with it's bold black and vivid orange colors. The femlae is a less noticeable birds with black, gray and white being the most prominent colors, along with some pastel yellow markings on the tail feathers, wings and flanks. The American Redstarts are easily identified by not only their one-of-a-kind plumage colration, but also by their habit of fanning out their tail feathers. They can be found in abundance during both spring and fall migration in Ohio.

                                                                                               Female American Redstart*

*Image via Dick Daniels, Wikimedia Commons