Editing American redstart (section)

==Behavior==

===Breeding===
The breeding habitats of the redstarts are open woodlands or scrub, often located near water. They nest in the lower part of a bush, laying 2–5 eggs in a neat cup-shaped nest. The clutch is incubated by the female for 10 to 13 days. The young fledge after 9 days in the nest, and may remain with one parent for up to 3 weeks afterwards. First-year males are able to reproduce during their first breeding season, but they retain the female-like plumage which may contribute to low reproductive success (less than 50% of first-year males) until year 2. In contrast, most first-year females successfully reproduce during their first breeding season. There is evidence for a skewed sex ratio that results in a surplus of unmated males.<ref>Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, D. Wheye. 1988. ''The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds''. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.</ref><ref name="Cornell">Sherry, T., R. Holmes. 1997. ''American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)'' (On-line). The Birds of North America Online.</ref>

American redstarts display a mixed mating strategy; they are predominantly [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] but around 25% of males maintain multiple territories and are [[polygyny in animals|polygynous]]. Even within monogamous pairs, a high proportion of offspring—as many as 40%—are not fathered by the male of the pair. The intensity of the male's coloration (which is due to [[carotenoid]] pigments) predicts their success at holding territory in their non-breeding, winter locations in the [[Caribbean]], the probability that they will be polygynous, and the proportion of offspring in their nests that they will themselves father.<ref>Reudink, M. W., Marra, P. P., Boag, P. T., & Ratcliffe, L. M. (2009).  Plumage coloration predicts paternity and polygyny in the American redstart.  ''Animal Behaviour, 77'', 495–501. {{doi|10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.11.005}}</ref> Males are invariably very territorial and the superior males occupy the best habitats, such as moist mangroves, while inferior males occupy secondary habitats such as dry scrub forests.

===Feeding===
The redstarts feed almost exclusively on [[insect]]s which are usually caught by flycatching. American redstarts also have been known to catch their insect prey by [[Gleaning (birds)|gleaning]] it from leaves. This is a very active species. The tail is often held partly fanned out. These birds have been observed flashing the orange and yellow of their tails on and off to startle and chase insects from the underbrush. Overall, this species is a very flexible, opportunistic feeder that can easily adapt to varying habitat, season, insect community, vegetation structure, and time of day. The diet consists largely of [[caterpillar]]s, [[moth]]s, [[flies]], [[leafhopper]]s and [[planthopper]]s, small [[wasp]]s, [[beetle]]s, [[aphid]]s, [[stoneflies]] and [[spider]]s. Few berries and seeds are consumed, but are most often from [[barberry]], [[serviceberry]], and [[magnolia]].<ref name="Cornell"/>