The white-faced whitestart or white-faced redstart (Myioborus albifacies) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae, the New World warblers. It is endemic to Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The white-faced whitestart was formally described in 1946 with its current binomial Myioborus albifacies. It is monotypic.
Description
The white-faced whitestart is about long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a solid black forehead and crown and an otherwise white face. Their upperparts and wings are slate-gray. Their tail is black with much white on the outer two pairs of feathers. Their throat and most underparts are deep orange-yellow and their undertail coverts white. They have a dark iris, a blackish bill, and blackish legs and feet.Curson, J. (2020). White-faced Redstart (Myioborus albifacies), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whfred1.01 retrieved July 27, 2026
Distribution and habitat
The white-faced whitestart is known only from three tepuis in the northwest of Venezuela's Amazonas state: Cerros Sipapo, Guanay, and Yaví. There it inhabits rainforest and cloudforest. In elevation it ranges between on Cerro Sipapo and between on the other two tepuis.
Behavior Movement
As far as is known, the white-faced whitestart is a sedentary year-round resident.
Feeding
Nothing is known about the white-faced whitestart's diet or foraging techniques. They are assumed to be similar to those of others of its genus; for example see here.
Breeding
Nothing is known about the white-faced whitestart's breeding biology. It is assumed to be similar to that of others of its genus; for example see here.
Vocalization
As of July 2026 neither xeno-canto nor the Cornell Lab's Macaulay Library had recordings of white-faced whitestart vocalizations.
Status
The IUCN originally in 1988 assessed the white-faced whitestart as being of Least Concern, then in 1994 as Near Threatened, and since 2000 again as of Least Concern. It has a very small range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. "Owing to the largely inaccessible nature of the isolated tepuis region, its habitat remains relatively undisturbed. However, many of the endemic plants of the tepuis harbour flammable secondary compounds which help to spread fire and, given its relatively small range, this could affect available habitat." Many specimens have been taken, leading to the conclusion that the species is "probably fairly numerous". The three tepuis are closed to visitors so "it may not, therefore, be under any immediate threat".
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