The American Redstart is a distinctive bird and unlikely to be confused with any other North American species. The American Redstart also breeds across the northern United States from Michigan to Washington. The American Redstart prefers second growth forest with saplings and thickets of bushes. The American Redstart is a very active bird even by the standards of warblers They are commonly seen catching flies and other flying insects in the air. The species has the habit of fanning its brightly marked tail from side to side.
Males require a full year to acquire the distinctive black and orange coloration.
The song is a series of similar high notes, sometimes with a characteristic, lower end note. The nest is constructed of grass, bark, and plant fibers lined with hair and fine grass. The nest is most commonly placed in a sapling or next to the trunk of a tree. The clutch consists of 4 brown speckled white eggs. Incubation takes about 12 days and the young leave the nest 9 days after hatching.