Slate-throated Redstart

Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus), Pinery Canyon, Cochise County

This Slate-throated Redstart was found by an unknown observer on 03 May and was photographed by Ellen Q. Stepniewski on 03 May, by Arlene Ripley on 04 May, by Garey Harritt on 13 May, by Gil Ewing on 16 May, by Jaculin Bowman on 31 May, by Steve Wolfe on 02 June, and by Jackie Lewis on 15 June 2016. The bird was observed tending a nest. A second individual, presumably a male, was reported intermittently and is also documented below. Three Slate-throated x Painted Redstart fledglings were discovered by Melody Kehl and Ron Howard and photographed by Ron Howard on 19 June and by Shannon Skalos on 06 July 2016.

Casual visitor to southeastern Arizona with an increase in reports in the past few years. This is the first reported nesting in the United States.

This distinctive species has slate gray upperparts, black around the face and throat, red chest and belly, chestnut cap, white on the outer rectrices and lack of any white in the wing.

A second adult, presumably a male, was seen infrequently but is documented below. Note especially the different tail pattern in the 15 Jun photos by Jackie Lewis, especially the intact R5 in the first photo which is broken in the second photo. The tail pattern in Jaculin Bowman's photos from 31 May also appears to be much less worn than photos from 2 June.

The broad buffy wing-bars and white lower eye-arcs of the fledglings are unlike Slate-throated Redstart and suggest that the young are hybrids with a Painted Redstart parent. The tail pattern of the fledgling in the 6 July photo also shows extensive white, which is suggestive of Painted Redstart parentage. Although it seems unusual for two adults to be present and the young to be hybrids, extra-pair copulations are common in songbirds and were observed in this female Slate-throated Redstart.