October already?

🎃 Let’s talk spooky season and a bird sporting Halloween colors: the American Redstart! Male American Redstarts are glossy black with bright orange patches on their wings, tail, and sides. BUT WAIT! Females and young birds look very different. Instead of black and orange, they’re mostly gray or olive with yellow patches. One thing males and females have in common is a behavior called “flashing,” or rapidly spreading and closing their tails. American Redstarts are primarily insect eaters, but they’ll also eat small berries and fruits. You won’t typically see them at your feeders, but planting native serviceberry, magnolia, beautyberry, and other berry-producing plants may help attract them to your yard. #FunFactFriday 📷 American Redstart (male) by Ingrid Siegert @barkingboat; American Redstart (female) by Steve Rushing @rushingoutdoors, both members of our Photographers Network