Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus · Thrushes
Common Redstart, male
Bordeaux and the surrounding area, 8 May 2026
A male Common Redstart in the blossom of a hawthorn in the country outside Bordeaux, where it is a good deal easier to find than in Britain. A summer migrant to Europe from sub-Saharan Africa, and a bird of open woodland, vineyards and old orchards rather than gardens proper.
The tail gives it away even when the bird is half-hidden: a constant, nervous shiver of that orange-red tail is close to diagnostic on its own. "Redstart" is literally that; start is an old word for tail. This one is in full breeding colour, slate-grey above with a black face and throat and a white forehead band.
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