Page 301 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CHATS AND THRUSHES
Order Passeriformes Family Turdidae Species Phoenicurus ochruros
Black Redstart

grey cap
browner head
than male sooty grey
upperparts
sooty or mousy
grey body
dark MALE
rust-red tail white panel
with darker on wings
centre
pale
eye-ring
IN FLIGHT
FEMALE black below
pale grey
rust-red above body
and on sides
of tail

IMMATURE (WINTER)
bird of rocky slopes with scree and crags, or deep
Agorges, the Black Redstart also readily occupies towns MALE (SPRING)
and villages with older buildings that offer holes in which to nest
and rough or waste ground where it can feed. It may move into
industrial sites and run-down areas of larger cities. In winter, a few FLIGHT: quick, agile, darting through small spaces,
use quarries and rocky coves along the coast, but most prefer rough dashing across roofs, with bursts of flicking wingbeats.
ground, from new building sites to derelict
land with brick and concrete rubble.
VOICE Call hard, rattling or creaky notes,
short tsip, tucc-tucc, titititic; song hesitant warble
with strange stone-shaking trills and rattles,
carries far in town or on cliff where elusive.
NESTING Grassy nest in hole in building,
on ledge, in cavity in cliff or fallen rocks;
4–6 eggs; 2 broods; May–July.
FEEDING Leaps and flies after insects, drops to IMMATURE MALE
ground from high perch or boulder to pick up Males often sing and sometimes breed while
beetles, grubs, worms, some berries, and seeds. still in immature grey plumage. OCCURRENCE
Breeds in most of Europe except
SIMILAR SPECIES Iceland, N Great Britain (very rare
in S), and N Scandinavia, in towns
REDSTART 2 BLACK WHEATEAR 32; DUNNOCK and villages with old buildings,
similar to 32; see p.302 see p.292
see p.298 cities and derelict industrial areas,
larger and streaked cliffs, gorges, mountain areas, and
blacker
paler no red often in old quarries along coast.
on tail In winter, often in quarries or
huge
white blacker along rocky coast.
more
rufous rump Seen in the UK
on rump and vent J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 14.5cm (5 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 23–26cm (9–10in) Weight 14–20g ( 1 ⁄2 – 11 ⁄16oz)
Social Family groups Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Secure
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