| Whitestart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Slate-throated whitestart,Myioborus miniatus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Parulidae |
| Genus: | Myioborus Baird, 1865 |
| Type species | |
| Setophaga verticalis[1] d'Orbigny &Lafresnaye, 1837 | |
| Species | |
See text | |
Whitestarts areNew World warblers in the genusMyioborus. The English name refers to the white outer tail feathers which are a prominent feature of the members of this genus ("start" is an archaic word for "tail"). The species in this genus are also often called "redstarts".
The genusMyioborus was introduced in 1865 by the American naturalistSpencer Baird withSetophaga verticalisd'Orbigny &Lafresnaye, 1837, as thetype species. This taxon is now considered to be asubspecies of theslate-throated whitestart (Myioborus miniatus).[2][3] The genus name combines theAncient Greek μυια/muia, μυιας/muias meaning "fly" with -βορος/-boros meaning "-devouring".[4]
The stronghold of the whitestarts is northernSouth America, although a few species range along theAndes as far south as north-westernArgentina, while others range north throughCentral America and as far north as the United States, in the case of thepainted whitestart. Most species are restricted to mountain forest and woodland. The ancestralMyioborus warblers, together with those in the genusBasileuterus seem to have colonised South America early, perhaps before it was linked to the northern continent, and these two genera provide most of the resident warbler species of that region.
Whitestart is the name used for all species in this genus by theInternational Ornithological Congress,[5] while theClements checklist, and theAmerican Ornithological Society's North and South American Classification Committeess use "redstart".[6][7][8]Myioborus species are not closely related to the various species calledredstarts in the familyMuscicapidae or to theAmerican Redstart.
The genus contains 12 species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Myioborus pictus | Painted whitestart | Arizona and New Mexico in the southern United States to Oaxaca,Veracruz and Chiapas in Mexico to northern Nicaragua. |
 | Myioborus miniatus | Slate-throated whitestart | Mexico, Central America, the Andes from western Venezuela to northwestern Argentina, the Venezuelan Coastal Range, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the tepuis |
 | Myioborus brunniceps | Brown-capped whitestart | Bolivia and north-western Argentina |
 | Myioborus flavivertex | Yellow-crowned whitestart | Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia. |
| Myioborus albifrons | White-fronted whitestart | western Venezuela | |
.jpg) | Myioborus ornatus | Golden-fronted whitestart | Andes of Colombia and far western Venezuela. |
.jpg) | Myioborus melanocephalus | Spectacled whitestart | southern Colombia to Bolivia |
 | Myioborus torquatus | Collared whitestart | Costa Rica and western-central Panama |
| Myioborus pariae | Paria whitestart | Paria Peninsula in Venezuela | |
| Myioborus albifacies | White-faced whitestart | tepuis of south-western Venezuela | |
| Myioborus cardonai | Guaiquinima whitestart | Cerro Guaiquinima in south-eastern Venezuela. | |
| Myioborus castaneocapilla | Tepui whitestart | Tepuis in southern Venezuela, western Guyana and northern Brazil. |
Most whitestarts are 13–13.5 cm (5.1–5.3 in) long with dark grey or dark olive-green upperparts, except for the white outer tail feathers which are frequently spread in display. Adults have brightly coloured red, orange or yellow bellies. Many species have contrasting black, rufous or yellow caps or distinctive facial patterns, often with white or yellow "spectacles" around the eye.
Thepainted whitestart, the most northern form, is larger (15 cm (5.9 in) long) and has a different plumage pattern, song and behaviour from the other whitestarts. It is also the only species which is partiallymigratory, and it could perhaps be placed in a separate genus.
The sexes are similar, as with most resident tropical warblers, since they pair for life, and have little need ofsexual dimorphism, unlike many migratory species where the males need to reclaim territory and advertise for mates each year.
The whitestarts are resident in mountain (includingtepui) forest, woodland and shrub, where they feed oninsects, sometimes as part of amixed-species feeding flock.
