Passeriformes / Muscicapidae / Phoenicurus
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros · 赭红尾鸲
Introduction
A small passerine in the genus Phoenicurus, formerly classified in Turdidae but now placed in Muscipapidae. It is a temperate Eurasian species with a range extending from western Europe and northwest Africa to central China. Originally inhabiting mountainous stony ground and cliffs, it has expanded into urban and industrial habitats since the early 20th century. Distinctive behaviors include robin-like head and body ducks, frequent tail flicking, and catching insects in flight.
Description
Length 13–14.5 cm; weight 12–20 g. Adult males are dark grey to black on upperparts with a black breast. The lower rump and tail are orange-red, with two central tail feathers dark red-brown. Western subspecies have blackish-grey bellies and undertails, with blackish-grey wings featuring pale fringes on secondaries forming a whitish panel. Eastern subspecies have orange-red undersides and all-blackish wings. Females are grey (western) to grey-brown (eastern) overall, except for the orange-red lower rump and tail. Grey axillaries and underwing coverts are distinctive at any age. First-calendar-year males occur in two forms: one similar to females, and a rarer form approaching adult male plumage but lacking the whitish wing panel.
Identification
Distinguished from the common redstart by greyer female plumage and grey axillaries and underwing coverts (buff to orange-red in common redstart). Western males show a prominent pale wing panel, while eastern males lack this feature. Flight involves quick ducks of the head and body, and the tail is often flicked. Vocalizations include a rattling song and a tick call.
Distribution & Habitat
Widespread breeder in south and central Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa, from Great Britain and Ireland south to Morocco, east to central China. Resident in milder parts; northeastern populations migrate to winter in southern and western Europe, Asia, and north Africa. In Britain, it is primarily a passage and winter visitor with only 20–50 breeding pairs, mostly in industrial areas. Migrants arrive in October or November and depart in March or April. Eastern race birds are rare vagrants in western Europe.
Behavior & Ecology
Monogamous breeders starting in mid-April. Nests are built by females in crevices, holes in rock or walls, or building ledges, using a loose cup of grass and stems lined with hair, wool, and feathers. Clutches contain 4–6 white or pale blue eggs, measuring 19.4 mm × 14.4 mm and weighing 2.16 g. Female incubates for 13–17 days; both parents feed young, which fledge after 12–19 days. Forages by catching passing insects in flight; migrants hunt in coastal tide-wrack for flies or tiny crustaceans.
Culture
Obsolete common names include Tithys redstart, blackstart, and black redtail.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Phoenicurus
Subspecies (6)
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Phoenicurus ochruros gibraltariensis
Europe, western Türkiye, and northwestern Africa
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
