Belongs to: thrushes and chats
Compare with: black redstart
Common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Also known as: redstart
BoCC Amber list
Best time to see: mid Apr to mid Sep
Key facts
Trim bird with a chestnut tail and a cheerful warbling song
Habitat: open woodland and parkland with mature trees, occasionally gardens
Uncommon summer visitor, wintering in northern tropical Africa
Recognition
Orange-red tail, male has white forehead/black face, female buff brown; 13–14 cm
Perches openly, fluttering from branch to branch, or flying out or down to the ground to catch insects
Lifecycle
In courtship display the male droops its wings and splays its tail, bowing and chasing the female
Nest is a cup in a hole in a tree or occasionally a bank
Two broods of 6–7 pale blue eggs, May to June
© Alan Williams