About Myioborus miniatus (Swainson, 1827)
The slate-throated whitestart, scientific name Myioborus miniatus (Swainson, 1827), is a long-tailed warbler that measures 12 cm (4.7 in) in length. It has a deep rufous head, a dark back, and contrasting bright yellow breast and belly, paired with white vent and white tail tips. Its bill is black, and its legs are blackish-gray. Across most of the species’ large range, most of its plumage shows little variation, but underpart color grades from yellow across most of the range to red in the northernmost part of the range. This species is found in disjunct populations in humid highland forests, from the upper understory to the mid canopy, across Mexico, Central America, the Andes from western Venezuela to northwestern Argentina, the Venezuelan Coastal Range, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and the tepuis. It occurs at elevations between approximately 600 to 2,500 m (2,000 to 8,200 ft) above sea level. In July 2024, a specimen was spotted in Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove in San Francisco, California. The sighting was confirmed by multiple birdwatching enthusiasts, and this observation is the furthest north the species has ever been recorded.
