DIY Homeschooler

Plate 32: American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

One of the most beautiful and conspicuous of the warblers.

Here is a bird well worth finding. It is common and confiding, but its gorgeous plumage never fails to produce a gasp of amazement. As though the Redstart felt the need of making the most of his beautiful attire, he spreads his wings and tail, flashing them as he bustles about the twigs, fans them widely as he tumbles after an insect, and pauses in the sunshine a moment between his foraging expeditions. Even the female spreads her yellow-marked wings.

The song is not musical; it is wheezy and wiry, and not easily syllabized. It often ends with a decisive downward note.

Look for the Redstart in open woodlands.

An Introduction to the Birds of Pennsylvania by Sutton

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Suggestions

• Print out the notebooking pages provided below.
• Read the redstart story in Bird Biographies out loud.
• Have a younger student orally narrate what was read. He can then copy a few lines of his narration onto the notebooking pages.
• Older students can read the text, Plate XXXII: American Redstart, and provide a written narration.
• Sketch the bird. This encourages attention to detail, which will aid in identifying the bird later on. Another option is to use the printables provided below.
• Sketch the nest of the bird, along with the eggs. Note where the nest is usually found.
• Older students can include the taxonomy.
• Learn more about the American Redstart at Cornell.
• On one notebooking page note the facts:
  • Description.
  • Habitat.
  • Range.
  • Food.
  • Nest.
  • Eggs.
  • Call.
• The redstart is covered in The Burgess Bird Book: CHAPTER XXIV. The Warblers Arrive.

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Additional Resources

30 Narration Ideas
At some point you might appreciate some variety.

The Bird Study sections of our free nature study series: Our Wonderful World:

• Free Nature Studies: Hunting Birds With Eyes & Camera
• Free Nature Studies: Bird Guardians (Owls)
• Free Nature Studies: Landlord to the Birds

Printables & Notebooking Pages

American Redstart Notebooking Pages
Free simple notebooking set.

American Redstart
Bird picture for notebook.

Zee Zee the Redstart
Corresponding print from The Burgess Bird Book.

American Redstart Range Map
For notebook from Cornell.

Bird Facts Notebooking Page
One option in a more graphic organizer style that is especially nice for noting the facts and range.

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Enjoy the entire series: