American Redstart
American Redstart has edged up: up 21% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the American Redstart
The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is a North American member of the Wood-Warblers (Parulidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–5.5 in long (11–14 cm) — a small, active songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,693 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 43 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Parulidae · Forest birds
Notable American Redstart Trends
No notable trend signals for American Redstart. See the full index history below.
American Redstart Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, American Redstart is projected to fall about 16% by 2029 — from 1.7 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.4 (95% range 1.1–1.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±18.8%, with 40% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| 2026 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| 2027 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| 2028 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| 2029 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
Where the American Redstart Is Detected
BBS routes recording American Redstart, sized by most recent count.
American Redstart Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -43% | 1968 | 69 |
| Alaska | -34% | 1996 | 5 |
| Arkansas | -63% | 1969 | 32 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Connecticut | +38% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | -57% | 1969 | 9 |
| Georgia | -35% | 1975 | 25 |
| Idaho | -71% | 1975 | 12 |
| Illinois | +74% | 1968 | 60 |
| Indiana | +369% | 1971 | 39 |
| Iowa | 17× | 1971 | 23 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Kentucky | -55% | 1968 | 29 |
| Louisiana | +34% | 1969 | 35 |
| Maine | -19% | 1968 | 78 |
| Maryland | +90% | 1968 | 64 |
| Massachusetts | +195% | 1968 | 30 |
| Michigan | +380% | 1968 | 103 |
| Minnesota | +270% | 1969 | 81 |
| Mississippi | +81% | 1968 | 33 |
| Missouri | +121% | 1970 | 39 |
| Montana | +22% | 1970 | 49 |
| Nebraska | +33% | 1995 | 10 |
| New Hampshire | -24% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | +872% | 1968 | 30 |
| New York | +50% | 1968 | 128 |
| North Carolina | -39% | 1969 | 69 |
| North Dakota | +356% | 1972 | 20 |
| Ohio | +666% | 1968 | 55 |
| Oklahoma | +48% | 1993 | 5 |
| Oregon | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | +143% | 1968 | 131 |
| Rhode Island | +219% | 1969 | 6 |
| South Carolina | -9% | 1983 | 12 |
| South Dakota | +184% | 1969 | 23 |
| Tennessee | -12% | 1968 | 29 |
| Texas | -84% | 1970 | 9 |
| Vermont | +5% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +432% | 1968 | 70 |
| Washington | -63% | 1970 | 20 |
| West Virginia | +181% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +245% | 1968 | 98 |
| Wyoming | -14% | 1978 | 20 |
American Redstart Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -22% | 1996 | 6 |
| Great Basin | -28% | 1972 | 11 |
| Northern Rockies | -45% | 1970 | 68 |
| Prairie Potholes | 11× | 1970 | 45 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +235% | 1968 | 127 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +139% | 1968 | 81 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -25% | 1968 | 156 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +125% | 1969 | 47 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +173% | 1968 | 119 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +315% | 1968 | 152 |
| Central Hardwoods | +62% | 1968 | 80 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -79% | 1969 | 49 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -36% | 1970 | 24 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -2% | 1968 | 132 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +189% | 1968 | 352 |
| Piedmont | -43% | 1968 | 105 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +106% | 1968 | 129 |
American Redstart Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 20% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.