The slate-throated whitestart (Myioborus miniatus) , also know as the slate-throated redstart, is a small insectivorous bird in the New World warbler family Parulidae that is native to Central and South America.[1][2][3]
The slate-throated whitestart was formally described in 1827 by the English zoologist William Swainson based on a specimen collected in Valladolid (Morelia) in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Swainson coined the binomial nameSetophaga miniata where the specific epithet is from Latinminiatus meaning "painted vermilion".[4][5][6] The slate-throated whitestart is now one of twelve species placed in the genus Myioborus that was introduced in 1865 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird.[7]
M. m. intermedius (Hartlaub, 1852) – south Mexico and east Guatemala
M. m. hellmayriVan Rossem, 1936 – south Guatemala and southwest El Salvador
M. m. connectensDickey & Van Rossem, 1928 – El Salvador and Honduras to central north Nicaragua
M. m. comptus Wetmore, 1944 – west, central Costa Rica
M. m. aurantiacus (Baird, SF, 1865) – east Costa Rica and west Panama
M. m. ballux Wetmore & Phelps, WH, 1944 – east Panama to north Ecuador and west Venezuela
M. m. sanctaemartaeZimmer, JT, 1949 – north Colombia
M. m. pallidiventris (Chapman, 1899) – north Venezuela
M. m. subsimilis Zimmer, JT, 1949 – southwest Ecuador and northwest Peru
M. m. verticalis (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) – south Ecuador to central Bolivia, southeast Venezuela, west Guyana and north Brazil
Description
The slate-throated whitestart is a long-tailed warbler measuring 12cm (4.7in) long.[8] It has a deep rufous head, dark back, and contrasting bright yellow breast, belly and white vent and tail tips. The bill is black, and the legs are blackish-gray.
While most of its plumage changes little throughout its large range, the underparts grade from yellow in most of its range, to red in the northernmost part.
In July 2024, a specimen was spotted in the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove of San Francisco, California. The sighting was confirmed by multiple birdwatching enthusiasts. This is the furthest north the species has ever been observed.[10]
Behavior
Pairs remain together throughout year, often accompanying mixed flocks. It hops and flits about while flashing its tail to frighten insects which are then caught in aerial pursuits. It will occasionally take protein corpuscles from Cecropia plants and will occasionally glean insects from tree bark.
The slate-throated whitestart's call note is a sharp "pik" note. The song varies with region, although throughout most of range it is a varied series of whistled notes, some slurred up, some slurred down.
From April to May, pairs nest in a bulky, roofed structure with a side entrance, usually nestled in niche in bank or steep slope. The female lays 3, or sometimes 2, speckled white eggs.
Gallery
Juvenile M. m. aurantiacus
A red-bellied individual from the northern part of the range
Skutch, Alexander F. (1954). "Slate-throated redstart". Life Histories of Central American Birds. Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 31. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp.357–370.
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