Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
The name 'redstart' comes from the Old English 'steort', meaning 'tail', referring to the bird's distinctive flickering orange-red tail feathers.
- Scientific name
- Phoenicurus phoenicurus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Muscicapidae › Phoenicurus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Open deciduous and mixed woodland, mature parks, and large gardens with old trees.
- Diet
- Mainly insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and flies; also spiders and small berries in autumn.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
- Size
- 13-15 cm in length, 20-25 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive forestry removing old nesting trees, pesticide use reducing prey availability, and climate change affecting migration timing.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find a grounded fledgling, leave it alone as parents are likely nearby; if injured, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.
The common redstart ( Phoenicurus phoenicurus ), or often simply redstart , is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus . Like its relatives, it was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, (Turdidae), but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher (family Muscicapidae).
Photo: Сергей Неклюдов, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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