redstart

[ red-stahrt ]

noun

1. any of several small, Old World thrushes, usually with reddish-brown tails, especially Phoenicurus phoenicurus European redstart.
2. any of several fly-catching, New World warblers, especially Setophaga ruticilla American redstart, having black and white plumage with reddish-orange patches.

redstart

/ ˈrɛdˌstɑːt /

noun

1. any European songbird of the genus Phoenicurus , esp P. phoenicurus , in which the male has a black throat, orange-brown tail and breast, and grey back: family Muscicapidae (thrushes, etc)
2. any North American warbler of the genus Setophaga , esp S. ruticilla

Word History and Origins

Origin of redstart¹

1560–70; red ¹ + obsolete start tail ( Middle English start, stert tail, handle, Old English steort tail; akin to Old High German sterz, Old Norse stertr )

Word History and Origins

Origin of redstart¹

Old English rēad red ¹+ steort tail; compare German Rotsterz

Example Sentences

In fall 2021, they studied common redstart, chaffinch and dunnock on Helgoland, an island off the German coast along the North Sea that is a popular stopover for birds on the move each autumn.

From Washington Post

I think what we had were a black and white warbler, a black-throated green warbler, a yellow-rumped warbler and an American redstart.

From Washington Post

Aristotle thought that some birds such as swallows hibernated in the colder months and that others transformed into different species—redstarts turned into robins for the winter, he proposed.

From Scientific American

With the help of binoculars, radar and the naked eye, the professional scientists and the volunteers count the trapped birds, which often include small songbirds like Canada and yellow warblers and American redstarts.

From New York Times

Most small songbirds — flashy American redstarts, striped black-and-white warblers, dowdy sparrows — travel at night to avoid predators and exploit favorable air currents.

From Washington Post