American Redstarts are nocturnal migrants [Stevenson and Anderson 1994] and travel on broad fronts during both spring and fall migration.  At these times, they utilize a wide variety of shrubby and woodland habitats [Sherry and Holmes 1997 (BNA)].  In spring, redstarts move northward in a front extending from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Coast [Bent 1953, Dunn and Garrett 1997].  They can be expected to arrive in the Gulf States around the first week of April [Bent 1953].  By mid-May, migrant redstarts can be found in southern New England [Veit and Petersen 1993].  Redstarts may sometimes be among the most common migrants in Massachusetts in late May, when young males are particularly abundant [Veit and Petersen 1993].  Also in late May, they typically reach their breeding grounds in northern New England [Bent 1953].  Sex and age differences have been observed in timing of spring migration in this species.  Male redstarts typically arrive before females, and older males arrive before 1-year old males [Francis and Cooke 1986].

Fall migration is similar to spring migration in that redstarts move south along a broad front in the eastern part of the U.S.  Fall migrants are typically concentrated in a slightly narrower band than spring migrants (from the Appalachians to the Atlantic Coast) but it is not unusual to find migrants along the Pacific Coast in the fall [Sherry and Holmes 1997 (BNA)].  Redstarts may depart their northern breeding grounds as early as July, however most individuals leave later than this [Sherry and Holmes 1997 (BNA)].  In Maine, the majority of the redstarts depart by mid-September [Bent 1953] and in Massachusetts most migrants pass through between late August and late September [Veit and Petersen 1993].  American Redstarts may migrate in mixed-species flocks, particularly in the fall [Morse 1970].