Tepui Whitestart (Tepui Redstart)

Locally common and conspicuous resident of tepui highland forest above ~1000 m; one of the more reliable, confiding endemics — usually seen well on any Escalera/Gran Sabana visit. Population trend listed as decreasing but it remains easy to find.

Classic Myioborus shape: yellow below (throat included) and gray above, with a rich chestnut crown/cap and white outer tail feathers that flash as it fans the tail. Three subspecies (nominate castaneocapilla, duidae, maguirei) differ subtly by tepui massif.

Humid montane and elfin forest, woodland edge and scrub of the tepui highlands, typically above ~1000 m up to the summits.

Active, tail-fanning warbler of the mid-story and edge; flits and pivots, repeatedly spreading the tail to flush insects, often joining or leading mixed-species flocks. Usually singly or in pairs.

Song a rapid chippering trill, recalling Tropical Parula but without strongly accented notes and dropping slightly in pitch; thin chip call notes. Search Xeno-canto and Macaulay Library for 'Tepui Redstart' (eBird/ML code tepred1; also catalogued as Tepui Whitestart).

An easy crowd-pleaser — its tail-fanning and confiding nature make it ideal for photography. Point out the all-yellow throat versus Slate-throated to cement the ID for trainees, and use it to demonstrate how Myioborus flushes prey with the white tail flash.