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redstart

redstart

1 8.7
A small songbird with a bright orange tail and breast
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛdˌstɑrt/
translation icon : colirrojo
  • Birdwatchers flock to the park to catch a glimpse of the redstart as it sings in the trees.
  • the American redstart

Examples

  • Niche breadth appeared slightly greater in the cold years, 2011 and 2013, than in the warm years, 2010 and 2012, for Baltimore Oriole and Warbling Vireo, but not for American Redstart (Table 10).

    Academic text (2016)
  • Small warblers and flycatchers flitted from thicket to tall tree, while tiny stints, redstarts, and shrikes darted from branch to branch.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • American Redstarts seemed to prefer ash and avoid "white" oak more during cold springs.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Our women are named Lark, Titmouse, Towhee, Quail, Redstart, Killdeer.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Three locally breeding species with sample sizes large enough to estimate tree preferences for each year were American Redstart, Warbling Vireo, and Baltimore Oriole.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Other birds that breed here are the American redstart, blue-winged warbler, veery, and warbling vireo.

    Academic text (2010)
  • High in the forest's leafy eaves, redstarts and chickadees, warblers and woodlarks racketed.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The redstart flitted from branch to branch, showing off its bright orange tail in the sunlight.

  • During spring migration, the redstart can be seen darting around in search of insects to eat.

Synonyms

American redstart
vsredstart
  • Specialized
7.7

A small North American bird whose male has bright orange patches

is a broader small songbird type found across North America Europe and Asia
Setophaga ruticilla
vsredstart
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bird called the American redstart whose male has bright orange patches on its wings and tail

is a broader small songbird type found in regions beyond eastern North America

Compounds

American redstart
  • Specialized
7.7

A small North American bird whose male has bright orange patches

Surface Forms

redstart singular
redstarts plural

Morphology

redstart = red + start (opaque) = red + start

Although the surface parts look like 'red' + 'start', the element 'start' historically means 'tail' (archaic) rather than 'begin', so learners cannot derive 'bird with a red tail' from modern senses.

Etymology

The word redstart comes from two old parts: red meaning 'red' and start which once meant 'tail', so a redstart is literally a 'red-tail', which explains the bird's bright red or orange tail.