The genus Myioborus are the whitestarts. The English name refers to the white outer tail feathers which are a prominent feature of the members of this genus. Confusingly, most species are usually named as “redstarts”, and these less accurate, but more familiar names (to birders in Central and North America, while Whitestart has gained wider use in South America).
There are 12 species in this genus. Only 2 species fall into the southern part of the United States, namely the Painted Redstart and the Slate-throated Redstart. The American Redstart (it has red or yellow in its tail) does not belong to this genus,rather the genus Setophaga.
