Redstart (coot) Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Length 15, weight 16. Tail bright red; the bird is constantly wagging its tail. The forehead is white, the throat and cheeks are black (the female is monochrome-grayish with a reddish tail).

Urges: "fuit-tick-tick ... fuit". Singing: short, slightly nasal trill; begins with a stretched sound, then the middle of the song and a special ending (song in three short knees) "fiiy-ryuryu-ryu-tsi-kru"; the end of the song is imitation, and when repeated, it can be different even for one bird (copies the great tit, pied flycatcher, etc.). While singing, sits motionless, often on top of a tree. Mixed and deciduous forests, parks, gardens throughout the territory; in warm weather.

On the Karpots, in the Crimea, Zhytomyr and Kiev regions, in the rocky mountains and cliffs, a very close species also lives in buildings - black redstart- Ph. ochruros, blackish gray in color, with a white patch on the wing.

Blackbirds

Zaryanka (robin) Erithacus rubecula

Length 14, weight 17. Chest is orange. General color is grayish-brown, tail without white. The neck is pulled into the shoulders. They jump on the ground, often stopping suddenly and quickly "bowing", flinching with their tail. They don't make big flights. They are inactive on a tree: they usually sit with spreading wings. They do not take off for prey.

Urges: "tsik-tsik", "tsk ... tsktsktsktsktsk ...", similar to the sound of a small hammer. A quick dry trill is sometimes heard. The song is ringing, chirping: it starts with a prolonged, thin whistle, followed by a lower tone, intermittent silvery trill; sounds minor, solemn. The song is short, but repeated many times with different variations. In the evenings, the bird often sings, sitting on top of the fir. Deaf, damp forests with dense undergrowth and dead wood. Found throughout the territory; in warm weather.

Hollow nesting birds

Of all the birds, it is the hollow-nesting birds that are easiest to attract to the personal plot. This group of birds nests in hollows gouged by woodpeckers or formed as a result of wood decay, and also build their nests behind the exfoliated bark of dry trees, in upturned roots, woodpiles.

Common starling

The common starling has a black plumage with a shiny metallic sheen, a brown tail and wings. In autumn, the plumage of the starling changes, white specks appear on it, in young birds the plumage on the neck is lighter. Starlings of this group settle near villages and villages. The common starling finds its food more often on the ground, sometimes in the trees.

Nests are organized in tree hollows, birdhouses or nest boxes. Lays eggs in mid-spring (May-April). Clutch - 5–7 blue eggs. Birds feed on various insects, most of which are pests of our gardens and vegetable gardens (garden scoops, beetles, clickers, cabbage centipedes). It is estimated that the starling, feeding its chicks, destroys up to 8 thousand May beetles and their larvae.

Pastor

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The head, neck, tail and wings of a pink starling are black with a metallic sheen, the rest of the plumage is pink. In young individuals, the plumage is lighter. An adult bird has a crest on its head. It is a migratory bird inhabiting the South of Russia. Nests are organized in rock voids, cliff crevices, woodpiles of firewood. Clutch of eggs occurs in May-June and consists of 4–6 blue eggs.

The pink starling actively destroys locusts and other insect pests. For breakfast alone, a pink starling needs up to 50-60 locusts; it eats up to 200 large insects per day.

Gray starling

The plumage of this species of starling is gray, the upper body, sides of the head and abdomen are white, the neck and nape are black, the base of the beak is bright yellow. The plumage of males is brighter, in young individuals the plumage is reddish.

The gray starling is a migratory bird, settling in mixed forests and groves, keeping in flocks. Clutch of eggs in May-June, consists of 4–8 blue eggs. A familiar picture from childhood: a tractor working in the field and starlings chasing it through fresh plowing. The gray starling's menu consists mostly of insect larvae and earthworms.

House sparrow

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The female and male house sparrow have different plumage. The male has a gray head, the throat and upper part of the chest are black, the abdomen and stripes on the shoulders are whitish, a brown stripe passes from the beak through the eye. In the female and young birds, the plumage is brownish-gray, on the lower part of the body it is lighter. On the back there are light and dark mottled blotches.

The house sparrow inhabits almost the entire forest zone of Russia. Lives in towns and villages. It nests in the crevices of buildings, under the roofs of houses, birdhouses, in burrows on the slopes of ravines.

Clutch occurs in April – July and consists of 5-6 eggs of white or grayish-blue color with brown spots.

House sparrows feed their chicks with insects, ticks, arthropods; the diet of adult birds is supplemented by seeds of various weeds.

Field sparrow

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The field sparrow is smaller than the house sparrow. The plumage of the back, wings and tail is brownish-brown, on the back there are brown specks, on the head there is a “cap” of chestnut-brown color. The sides are white, the chest and abdomen are whitish, the throat is black, and there is a black spot on the cheeks. Females and juveniles are similar in color, but slightly lighter.

The field sparrow lives throughout Russia. During the nesting period, it adheres to tree plantations, the rest of the time it prefers farm buildings and cattle yards.

He equips nests in hollows, under the roofs of houses, in birdhouses. Clutch of eggs occurs in April - July and consists of 4–8 whitish or grayish eggs with dark specks.

It feeds nestlings with small beetles, spiders, hymenoptera and other insects. The diet of the first brood chicks consists of sawfly weaver larvae, pine sawfly, and elm springtail caterpillars. Various beetles are added to the diet of the chicks of the second brood, reaching up to 80% of the total feed mass.

Observations show that sparrows feed their chicks about 26 times within an hour, that is, an average of 300 times per day. Parents fly to the nest 4500 times in 15 days.

Jackdaw

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In the jackdaw, the top of the head and neck is gray, the rest of the plumage is black with a metallic sheen on the back and shoulders. The jackdaw lives mainly in the European part of Russia and the southern regions of Siberia. Jackdaws keep in flocks. This is a bird familiar to villages and villages. Jackdaws love to nest under the roofs of residential buildings, in hollows, chimneys, in burrows.

The jackdaw makes a clutch of 4–6 bluish-green eggs with a brown speck in April-June. It is an omnivorous bird; it feeds its chicks with various invertebrates, larvae of large beetles. Even small rodents can become its food. Jackdaws love leaf beetles, ground beetles, elephants, darkling beetles, clickers, beetles. The rest of the feed is plant foods: peas, oats, lentils.

Blue tit

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The forehead and cheeks of the blue tit are white, the throat, the stripe on the chest and around the cheeks are black, the chest and abdomen are yellow. On the head there is a blue "cap", blue plumage is also near the wings and tail, the back is green.

Inhabits the central and southern regions of Russia. Blue tit settles in deciduous gardens. It is a sedentary and nomadic bird. Arranges nests in the hollows of trees. Blue tit eggs are white with reddish-brown spots; blue tit lays them in April-May. Clutch consists of 5-10 eggs.

Blue tit food mainly consists of insects, less often of vegetation. The blue tit feeds its chicks with weevils and their larvae, bedbugs, butterfly caterpillars, small dipterans and webbed spiders. In huge numbers, blue tit destroys the main pests of the garden and forest: gypsy moths and millipedes.

The singing period is mid-March to mid-July, rarely sung in the fall.

Brown-headed gadget

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The back, wings and tail of the chick are brownish-gray, the top of the head and the spot under the beak are brown. Lives in coniferous and mixed forests. Nests in hollows.

Lays white eggs with red-brown spots in April-June. Clutch consists of 7-8 eggs. With the onset of cold weather, in search of food, they fly to household plots.

It is an insectivorous bird that destroys a large number of pests. Chicks feed mainly on beetles, caterpillars, moth moth pupae, scoops, leaf rollers. Feeding chicks, chicks fly up to the nest up to 20 times within an hour.

Singing starts from late January to early February and ends in late spring.

Crested tit (grenadier)

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This titmouse received this name because of the large, whitish, pointed tufted with black transverse stripes on the head. The plumage of the back, wings and tail is grayish-brown, the throat and stripes above the eye are black. The body is white with a brownish bloom.

The crested tit lives in the pine forests of the European part of Russia. In winter, he visits gardens of household plots, looking for food on the lower branches of trees. The crested tit feeds on insects and spiders. Loves weevils, leaf beetles, click beetles, sometimes uses plant seeds for food.

Crested tits arrange their nests in hollows with very narrow holes (no more than 30 mm in diameter). Such hollows are usually found very low, almost at the very ground.

Singing begins in February-March, more often at the end of winter and summer.

Great tit

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It is the largest of all titmouse species. The plumage of the head, throat, stripes on the yellow chest, black undertail. The wings and tail are bluish, the back is green or yellowish-gray, the cheeks and the patch on the back of the head are white.

Inhabits most of Russia. Likes to settle in thickets along the banks of rivers. Arranges a nest in a hollow. Eggs are white with red-brown spots, lays in March – June. Clutch consists of 9–13 eggs.

He finds food, like all tits, in trees and bushes. Prefers animal food, in winter it also eats plant food. The great tit eats as much feed per day as it weighs itself.

Regular chanting starts at the end of February.

Common redstart (coot)

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The plumage of the male and female coot is somewhat different. In the male, the top of the head, neck and back are ash-gray, the forehead is white, the sides of the head, the throat is black, the bottom of the body and tail are bright red. The female also has a red tail, the belly is buffy-white, and the rest of the plumage is brownish-gray. Young birds have brown plumage with light streaks and a red tail.

The common redstart lives in the European part of Russia and the south of Western Siberia. Redstart nests can be seen in cracks in rocks, and the redstart also likes to settle under the roofs of residential buildings and titmouses. The redstart's eggs are white or pale blue. Clutch consists of 4–6 eggs.

The bird feeds its chicks and feeds itself on insects. The coot has different hunting methods, in search of food it can run on the ground like a wagtail, catch insects in the air like a flycatcher, gather food on tree branches and in bushes, like a warbler or a tit.

Pied flycatcher

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The male flycatcher has the top of the head and neck, back, wings, tail are black, a narrow strip on the forehead, stripes on the wings, the forehead and bottom of the body are white. The plumage of young birds and females is grayish-brown.

The pied flycatcher lives in the European part of Russia and the south of western Siberia. Builds nests in hollows. Lays eggs in May-June, eggs are light blue, clutch consists of 5–7 eggs.

The pied flycatcher feeds on flies, butterflies, weevils, clickers, clickbearer larvae, beetles, leaf beetles, tree bugs and other insects.

Gray flycatcher

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In the gray flycatcher, the upper body, tail, and wings are brownish-gray; there are longitudinal brown streaks on the head and back. The underside of the body is white with a brownish bloom and streaks on the crop and chest.

The gray flycatcher inhabits the entire European part of Russia and the south of Eastern Siberia. It arranges nests at the base of thick branches behind peeling bark or in hollows, and also settles under the roofs of houses. Clutch of 4-6 eggs, greenish with rusty spots, lays in May-June.

The gray flycatcher catches insects in flight. She can eat up to 450 flies per day. This is an extremely unassuming bird, sometimes two pairs can live simultaneously in different corners of the same nest. The gray flycatcher is very easy to attract to the site.

Moskovka

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The head and upper chest of the Muscovy are black, the cheeks, the spot on the back of the head and the chest have white plumage. The back is gray with an olive-blue tint, the wings and tail are brownish-gray, the abdomen and sides are white with an ocher tint. This is a small bird.

Muscovy settles in coniferous and mixed forests throughout Russia. Birds keep in flocks, often together with titmouses. When it does not nest, it flies to villages and villages, destroying insect pests in gardens and vegetable gardens. Muscovy arranges nests in hollows.

Muscovy feeds mainly on insects, but in winter its diet is replenished with seeds of trees, mainly conifers. Loves beetles, caterpillars, lepidoptera pupae, spiders, small worms, weevils, pine hawk moths.

He starts singing in February.

White wagtail

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In the wagtail, the top of the head, back of the head, craw, top of the breast and tail have black plumage, the back is gray or black, the forehead, the strip from the beak through the eye to the ear, the stripes on the sides of the tail and on the wings and the entire bottom of the body are white. Young wagtails have gray plumage and no black spots.

Wagtails settle in floodplains of rivers and other bodies of water. This is a bird familiar to home gardens. He is on the ground all the time, running alone, less often in pairs. Nests are built in hollows, under the roofs of houses, in niches of cliffs and in cracks in rocks.

Wagtail eggs are white with gray spots; the wagtail lays them in April – July. Clutch consists of 5-6 eggs.

The area of ​​the site where the wagtail searches for food is quite large; in search of food, the bird flies 200-300 meters from the nest.

The white wagtail eats only animal food: flying insects, spiders, weevils, beetles. The wagtail is very useful in the garden, where this bird quickly runs through the beds in search of prey. Wagtails do not like tall grass, they are more attracted by paths, paths overgrown with weeds of the border.

They sing rarely - only at the beginning of the nesting period.

Nuthatch

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The upper side of the body of this bird is grayish-blue, the wings and tail are brownish-black. From the beak through the eye to the ear there is a black stripe, white spots on the tail, white throat, chest and abdomen white with a reddish tint.

The nuthatch settles in forests almost throughout Russia. Nuthatch climbs tree trunks, sometimes joins flocks of birds. Usually leads a nomadic life. Nests are built in hollows, the entrance to the hollow is coated with clay to reduce its size.

The nuthatch lays eggs in April – June. Clutch consists of 6–8 white eggs with reddish-brown specks.

Nuthatch food consists of insects (leaf beetles, bedbugs, moth caterpillars, butterflies, etc.) and tree seeds (hazelnuts, acorns, maple seeds, alder seeds, conifers).

On household plots, the nuthatch can settle in birdhouses, titmouses, hung at a height of 4–8 meters, prefers nest boxes. On its nesting site, the nuthatch does not tolerate fellows, while it does not pay any attention to other hollow-nesting nests, for example, it can live in a colony of starlings.

The nuthatch begins to sing regularly towards the end of winter; by the beginning of incubation, the singing stops.

Hoopoe

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A bird with a beautiful large fan-shaped tuft. The plumage of the hoopoe is brick-reddish, the abdomen is light, the wings are black with wide white stripes, the tail and the stripe on the crest are black, the base of the tail is white.

The hoopoe loves open spaces, lives in the southern regions of Russia, it can also be found in the Moscow region. Nests are arranged in hollows, heaps of stones, cracks in rocks, in cliffs. Clutches of 3–9 in May-June, grayish eggs. He finds food for himself on the ground, feeds on various invertebrates.

Kestrel

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The kestrel is a small falcon. It has wide wings and a long tail. The upper body of the kestrel is reddish-brown with round streaks, the bottom of the body is buffy with longitudinal streaks, the head is gray, and there is a dark stripe at the end of the tail. Young birds have lighter plumage with blurred streaks.

It settles throughout Russia except for the tundra. Common bird in villages and hamlets. Nests in hollows, attics, old nests of crows and rooks. Clutches in April-May; it consists of 4–6 buffy eggs with reddish-brown spots.

Kestrels feed on small rodents and large insects (locusts, grasshoppers, etc.).

In the central regions of Russia, the kestrel nesting in attics is a common sight.

Little owl

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The plumage of the house owl is monochromatic with light specks from light brown to reddish-sandy color. The little owl lives in the southern regions of Russia, arranges nests in burrows, which he often digs himself, making them quite deep. He also likes to live in abandoned buildings in attics.

Lays eggs in April-May. Clutch consists of 4–8 white eggs. The food of the house owl is small rodents, it can also catch small birds on occasion, it loves lizards, large insects.

The little owl actively exterminates mouse-like rodents, so it must be attracted in every possible way to personal plots.

In the next - third part, you will be able to get acquainted with the material telling about openly nesting birds.

The redstart is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful small birds in the European part of Russia. Small, the size of a sparrow, painted in contrasting gray and fiery red colors, this feathered beauty is a true living decoration of parks, gardens and forests of Eurasia. And the very name "redstart" comes from the characteristic habit of representatives of this species to twitch its tail, which at this time resembles a fire flames waving in the wind.

Description of the redstart

Redstarts belong to the family of flycatchers of the order Passerine... These birds are widespread in Eurasia, as well as in the north, where they willingly settle in forests, parks and forest-steppes.

Appearance

The redstart is a bird that does not exceed in size. Its body length does not exceed 10-15 cm, and its weight is 20 grams. The wingspan of this bird is about 25 cm. By its constitution, the redstart also resembles an ordinary sparrow, but it is more graceful and bright. It has a not too large body in the form of a slightly elongated oval with a narrowed end, a proportional relatively small head with a beak similar to that of a passerine, but slightly more elongated and thinner.

The eyes are dark and shiny, like beads. The wings are short, but strong enough. The tail in flight resembles a half-open fan, and when the bird sits on a branch or on the ground, its tail also looks like a fan, but already folded.

It is interesting! In some species of redstarts, mainly living in Asia, the plumage from above has not a grayish, but a bluish or bluish tint, which creates an even greater contrast between the cold tone of the back color and the warm orange tint of the bird's abdomen and its reddish-red tail.

The redstart's legs are thin, of a dark grayish or black shade, the claws are small but tenacious: thanks to them, the bird is easily kept on the branch.

Behavior, lifestyle

The redstart belongs to migratory species of birds: it spends summer in Eurasia, and flies to Africa or the Arabian Peninsula in winter. Usually, the autumn migration of this species, depending on the part of the range where these birds live, begins in late summer or in the first half of autumn and falls around mid-August - early October. Redstarts return to their homeland in April, and males arrive several days earlier than females.

These bright birds nest mainly in tree hollows, but if this is not possible, they build nests in other natural shelters: in potholes and crevices of trunks or stumps, as well as in a fork in tree branches.

It is interesting! Redstart does not have a preference for the height of the nest: these birds can build it both at ground level and high on the trunk or in the branches of a tree.

Most often, one female is engaged in the construction of the nest: she builds it from various materials, including such as tree bark, dried stems of herbaceous plants, foliage, bast fibers, needles and bird feathers.

Redstarts are known for their singing, which is based on a variety of trills, similar to the sounds made by other species of birds, such as the flycatcher.

How many redstarts live

The life span of a redstart in its natural habitat does not exceed 10 years. In captivity, these birds can live a little longer.

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism in this species is pronounced: males differ significantly from females in color. As a matter of fact, it is precisely thanks to the males with their contrasting grayish-red or bluish-orange coloring that the bird got its name, since the females of the redstart are colored very modestly: in brownish shades of varying lightness and intensity. Only in some species of this genus, females have almost the same bright color as in males.

It is interesting! Females cannot boast of such a bright coloring: from above they are grayish-brown, and only their abdomen and tail are brighter, orange-red.

So, in the male of the common redstart, the back and head have a darkish gray tint, the abdomen is painted in a light red hue, and the tail is intense, bright orange, so that from a distance it seems to burn like a flame. The forehead of the bird is decorated with a bright white spot, and the throat and neck on the sides are black... Due to this contrasting color combination, the male redstart is noticeable from a distance, despite the fact that these birds are not large in size.

Redstart species

Currently, there are 14 species of redstart:

• Alashan Redstart
• Red-backed redstart
• Gray-headed redstart
• Black Redstart
• Common redstart
• Field redstart
• White-chinned redstart
• Siberian redstart
• White-browed redstart
• Red-bellied redstart
• Blue-fronted redstart
• Gray redstart
• Luzon Water Redstart
• White-capped redstart

In addition to the above listed species, there was a now extinct species of redstart that lived on the territory of modern Hungary in the Pliocene epoch.

Habitat, habitats

It starts from Great Britain and reaches as far as Transbaikalia and Yakutia. These birds also live in Asia - mainly in China and in the foothills of the Himalayas. Some species of redstart live further south - up to India and the Philippines, and several species are found even in Africa.

Most redstarts prefer to settle in the forest zone, whether it is temperate broadleaf or humid subtropical forest: both ordinary and mountainous. But these birds do not like coniferous thickets and avoid them. Most often, the redstart can be found on the edges of the forest, in abandoned gardens and parks, as well as in non-forest clearings, where there are many stumps. It is there that these medium-sized birds prefer to live: after all, in such places it is easy to find a natural shelter in case of an approaching danger, as well as material for building a nest.

Redstart diet

The redstart is predominantly an insectivorous bird. But in the fall, she often feeds on plant foods: various types of forest or garden berries, such as ordinary or black chokeberry, currant, elderberry.

It is interesting! The redstart does not disdain any insects and over the summer destroys a huge variety of pests, such as click beetles, leaf beetles, bedbugs, various caterpillars, mosquitoes and flies. True, such useful insects as, for example, spiders or ants, can become a victim of this bird.

However, redstarts are of great benefit in killing a variety of garden and forest pests. In captivity, these birds are usually fed both live insects and special surrogate food.

Reproduction and offspring

As a rule, males return from wintering a few days earlier than females and immediately start looking for a place to build a nest. To do this, they find a suitable hollow, a pothole in a tree trunk, or even just a pile of dead wood lying on the ground. The bird does not leave the chosen place and does not allow rivals who can take it away from it.

After the arrival of the females, the courtship ritual begins... And then, if the chosen one is satisfied with both the male and the place chosen by him, she builds a nest and lays in it from five to nine eggs of a bluish-green hue. On average, the redstart spends about 7-8 days to build a nest, since it approaches this business thoroughly.

The female incubates the laid eggs for exactly 14 days. Moreover, in the first days, she briefly leaves the nest to find food, and when she returns, she turns the eggs so that they do not lie on one side, as this interferes with the normal development of the chicks. If the female is absent for more than a quarter of an hour, then the male himself takes her place until she returns.

If eggs laid by birds or fledglings die for some reason, then a pair of redstarts makes a new clutch. Redstarts are born completely helpless: naked, blind and deaf. For two weeks, parents feed their offspring. They bring small insects to chicks, such as flies, spiders, mosquitoes, caterpillars and small beetles with a not too hard chitinous cover.

It is interesting! At first, while the chicks have not fledged, the female does not leave the nest, since otherwise they may freeze. At this time, the male brings food not only for the offspring, but also for her.

In the event of a danger, adult birds begin to fly from one branch to another, emitting loud, alarming cries and, thus, try to drive away the predator or divert its attention to themselves. Two weeks after their birth, chicks that still cannot fly begin to leave the nest, but do not go far from it. Parents for another week, until they make their first flight, they are fed. And after the little redstarts have learned to fly, they finally become independent. Redstarts appear to reach sexual maturity by the end of their first year of life.

The adult birds, after the chicks have left their native nest, make a second clutch of eggs, thus, during the warm period, the redstarts manage to hatch not one, but two broods. At the same time, they make the last clutch for that summer no later than July, so that all their chicks have time to fledge and learn to fly well by the time they leave for wintering. Even more interesting, these birds do not belong to monogamous species and, moreover, the male can simultaneously "maintain relationships" with two or even more females. At the same time, he takes care of all his broods, but in different ways: he visits one nest more often than others and spends more time there than in others.

The redstart (translated from Latin as Phoenicurus) is a small songbird, a bird of the flycatcher family (Muscicapidae), an order of passerines, with a body length of about 15 cm, weighing 10-20 grams.

The length of the redstart's wings is about 8 cm, their span is about 25 cm. This small bird is very energetic and leads an active lifestyle, does not sit still, but is in motion all the time, flying from place to place. Its food is small invertebrates (spiders, mowers), snails, larvae, caterpillars, worms and berries.

Where did the name "redstart" come from?

The bright red color of the tail served as a wire to it. The name Phoenicurus consists of two Greek words "phoenix" and "oura" literally translated from Greek as "purple or carmine tail."

Singing redstart.

The redstart sings most of its life, about a third of its life, from early morning. In the dark, her singing is practically inaudible, but during the morning dawn, the redstart fervently sings its "fi-it, fi-it" and twitches its tail. The song is usually divided into three parts - the introduction, the main part and the conclusion, and it gets louder as it is played. The redstart does not differ in a wide variety of melodies and most often repeats the same one several dozen or even hundreds of times. In ordinary life, the bird makes other sounds, depending on the situation, for example, its "tek-tek-tek" speaks of an approaching danger.

The Redstart is a lone bird and prefers to do everything on its own and mostly keeps a distance from each other. Birds can congregate in groups if there is a large accumulation of insects in some place. The bird does not really like sunbathing and water procedures.

Photo of the Redstart.

We offer you to watch an amazing video « Birds of Russia, Black Redstart from egg to chick.«

And now, the video - " Bird therapy or bird song therapy. Singing redstart.«

Description of the bird

The size of the redstart is 10-15 cm, but the wingspan at full span reaches 25 cm. The body weight does not exceed 20 grams.

What does it look like

The redstart can be easily recognized, it is a small bird with a red tail... A distinctive feature of the redstart is the color of the tail and abdomen, they are rich red, the back is gray. Despite this, the females are more brown in color. During the flight from branch to branch, the redstart characteristically twitches its tail, which seems to flare up with a bright fire in the sun's rays, after which it freezes. The redstart was so named because of the rich color of the tail, it seems to "burn" (the tail is burning).

Views

Among the redstarts, there are several different species, which include: gray-headed redstart (common), black redstart, Siberian redstart, red-bellied redstart, redstart-bald, garden redstart. At the same time, they all differ in a slender physique, an awl-shaped beak with small, long and thin legs at the end.

Black Redstart

The black redstart or black redstart is often found in Europe and Central Asia. It is smaller than a sparrow and weighs 14-19 grams. In the male, the upper plumage is dark gray; forehead, frenulum, cheeks, neck and goiter are black; the tail is painted in a rusty orange color with black specks. At the same time, the female has a monochromatic grayish brown shade, with the exception of the red uppertail and light red uppertail.

Such birds live in mountain landscapes:

• rocky niches
• on the ledges of the cliffs
• on slopes with a scattering of pebbles

They are also found in settlements, where they are most often located in industrial and construction zones, open areas with individual buildings such as factory chimneys or church domes. Black Redstarts keep alone and in pairs.

In Ukraine, the black redstart is considered a nesting, migratory species of birds that are found throughout the country.

The chanting is very primitive and rough, with husky elements like stoves. At the beginning, a short hoarse trill is heard, the volume of which gradually increases, and only after that a coarse long trill is formed. In black redstart, the melody can be repeated several times in a row.

Gray-headed or common redstart

The gray-headed or common redstart is one of the most beautiful birds. However, only the male can boast of luxurious colored plumage, because the female's plumage is poorer. The color is brown, but the tail is bright red. In the male, the plumage of the back is ash-gray, the chest, belly, sides and tail are painted in a rusty-red hue, but his throat and cheeks are black. Also, sometimes the male has a white forehead.

The common redstart lives in northwestern Africa, Eurasia and most of Russia.

Despite the external differences, the common redstart is also distinguished by sonorous singing. In the beginning, the trill is frequent and sonorous, but over time the frequency of the trill decreases.

Garden redstart

The garden redstart prefers to build nests only on trees that are located in old orchards and parks. At the same time, he prefers to live away from people. Also, the garden redstart is found in high-trunk mixed forests, in coniferous forests, where there are necessarily dense bushes.

In the male garden redstart, the upper part of the body is ash-gray, the throat, sides and forehead of the head are black. In addition, the upper part of the head and the middle of the lower part of the body are white. The chest, sides and tail are bright rusty red. Unlike males, females are colored dark gray, but the lower part of the body is gray. Also on the gray feathers of the lower body there are rusty-yellow edges.

The garden redstart's singing is euphonic and rich. The singing contains melodic and gentle stanzas. Despite this, the redstart is a wonderful and shameless mockingbird, therefore she often interprets other people's songs.

Redstart-coot

The bald redstart is a small slender bird with high thin legs. These are very mobile birds, so they fly from place to place all day, twitching their charming tail.

The singing of the coot redstart is different from others. The song consists of a short, somewhat nasal trill, which begins with a stretched sound and ends with an abruptly different urge from the middle of the song.

Siberian redstart

The Siberian redstart is found in light forests, shrubs, gardens, and even some villages in the south of Siberia, Amur and Breeze. In this case, nests are equipped in hollows, cracks in rocks, a heap of stones or under the roof of buildings.

In the male Siberian Redstart, the top of the head and neck is light gray, the sides of the head, throat, back and wings are black, but there is a white spot on the wings. The belly and tail are bright red. The female is similar to the female of the common redstart. She has brown plumage, but the tail, like the male, is bright red in color. In addition, she also has a white spot on her wings.

Red-bellied redstart

The red-bellied redstart is very similar to the Siberian redstart, however, it is larger and brighter in color. The male has a reddish-reddish chest, but the female has a reddish abdomen and there is no white spot on the wings.

Inhabits the highlands of the Central Caucasus and Southern Siberia, but winters in the low mountains - in the thickets of sea buckthorn or floodplain willows.

Spreading

The Redstart is a typical European bird species, so its habitat is quite diverse. Found in Europe, most of Western and Central Siberia and Western Asia. Mostly they prefer to settle in pine forests. However, the main nesting sites are still forest edges, tree stumps, old groves, gardens and parks. In addition, redstarts prefer to nest in shelters, where nests are safely erected. Nests settle in hollows, on thick tree branches, in dense bushes and old stumps.

Reproduction

Most redstart clutch does not exceed 6-7 eggs, which are colored bright blue. Only the female is engaged in incubation of eggs. After 2 weeks of incubation, the chicks are born, after which for another 2-3 weeks both parents bring food to the chicks. Chicks begin to fly a month after emergence. Chicks leave the nest after they grow up and learn to fly, however they roam near the nest. Young growth is located near water bodies and in thickets of bushes. A distinctive feature of the redstart is that some couples carry out 2-3 clutches during the summer.

Nesting

Nests are set up in closed and inaccessible places. At the same time, the nests are constructed in a sloppy manner and are bowl-shaped. To build the redstart, a variety of dry stems of herbaceous plants, wood fibers with an admixture of leaves, moss and pieces of bark are used. After that, a litter is established in the nest, consisting of wool, feathers and pieces of leaves. The dimensions of such a nest are small: diameter - 110 mm, height - 90 mm, tray diameter on average 90 mm, tray depth 40-70 mm.

In addition, in the forests there are often special man-made houses for redstarts. However, the house should be made only of high quality material suitable for birds. It is best to use skipped boards for this - a slab or edged, the thickness of which is 2-2.5 cm. In this case, the board should be planed only from the outside of the house.

It is better to make a house of the optimal size:

• height - 20-25 cm
• bottom - 12 to 12
• the internal area of ​​the bottom is 15-20 sq. cm
• patch diameter - 3-4 cm
• distance from the bottom of the taphole to the bottom - 10-12 cm
• from the top of the taphole to the ceiling - 4-5 cm

It is also worth remembering that redstarts are partial to rhombic houses, so you can mount them at an angle. In addition, in the summer, the house is directed to the west or south, the main thing is not towards the wind.

Redstarts are also kept at home. They live well in cells. However, keeping several redstarts in one cage at once is not recommended, because they fight, often until the death of an opponent.

What eats

Common Redstart / Phoenicurus phoenicurus / Redstart

The redstart feeds exclusively on insects - flies, mosquitoes, beetles, caterpillars, spiders. They are also not averse to eating berries - currants, elderberries and raspberries. In autumn and winter, redstarts pay attention to fruits and seeds. If you keep the redstart at home, then it is worth feeding both live and surrogate food for insectivorous birds (Padovan).

Migratory bird or not

The redstart lives in many countries. Most often found in Southeast Asia, practically throughout Europe, as well as in China, India and Russia. However, in the fall, most of them go to winter in the southern parts of the Arabian Islands and Africa.

Singing

• Redstarts sing around the clock, but they do it especially actively in the morning and late in the evening.
• The redstart is often also called the coot, the kaluferka, the goristka.
• Redstarts are like because, like them. wiggle their tail up and down.
• The redstart got its name because of the color of the tail, which seems to be burning in the sun.
• Cuckoos often leave their eggs in the nest of the redstart, which takes care of them as if they were their own.
• The male redstart hunts exclusively during flight, while the female searches for food on the ground.