Paria Redstart

The Paria whitestart is a small warbler, being about 13 centimeters (5.11 inches) in length. It has a gray head with a rufous crown and a bright yellow eyering & supraloral stripe. The upperparts are gray, with bright yellow throat and underparts, and the tail is black with white undertail coverts. The bill is black, the iris is brown, and the feet and legs are a blackish yellow. Adults of both sex are similar in plumage - it has been suggested, but not yet confirmed, that males could generally have brighter yellow on the face and a purer gray on the back.

Its song is described variably as a wheetsa-wheetsa-wheetsa-wesee or a tesza-sweet-see-zéé-zéét, tending to rise in volume and become more insistent towards the end, although it does vary in order and pitch of notes. The call is a high, liquid tship note lasting less than one second. Nothing is published about the Paria whitestart's reproduction. Phelps & Phelps's description from 1949 notes that the female specimens which were collected in May had laying ovaries.

The Paria whitestart is endemic to the Paria Peninsula in northeastern Sucre, Venezuela. Its range is estimated to be about 270 km2 (167 mi2), spanning the humid montane forests and cloud forests between 800-1,150 meters (2,624-2,772 feet) on the slopes of Cerros Humo, Azul, and El Ovido, and potentially Cerro Patao. It is noted to prefer forest edges and clearings, being absent from denser forest interiors, and has been observed below forest canopy at the edges of nearby coffee plantations. It is locally common on Cerro Humo, but rare on Cerros Azul and El Ovido, and rare if present on Cerro Patao. There are assumed to be several small subpopulations represented by records from the different regions of the peninsula, although there is also the possibility of seasonal dispersals or movements.

Very little published information exists on the ecology of the Paria whitestart. It is diurnal, and appears to particularly prefer edge habitats for foraging. It is insectivorous, foraging in the lower and middle levels of montane humid forest and cloud forests by gleaning, flycatching, and picking prey from leaves while hovering. It forages singly or in pairs, and pairs regularly join mixed-species foraging flocks.