Conspicuousness of a flush-pursue predator, the painted redstart [Myioborus pictus L.]: an experiment using bird models in a breeding habitat

White patches in the Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus) are adaptations to flush prey during flush-pursue foraging which is characteristic for this species. Conspicuousness of white wing patches was measured in terms if time needed for a human observer to find a taxidermic model in a natural habitat. The time to find a model without patches did not differ from the time to find a model with white patches, indicating that white patches do not confer higher conspicuousness to non-moving redstarts. The results are discussed in terms of predation risk from such visually orienting predators as hawks or pygmy owls, and in comparison to other Myioborus species, all which do not posses the white wing patches.