Redwing

Turdus iliacus

Identity, life and distribution

Redwing Turdus iliacus is a relatively small thrush with a conspicuous pale eyebrow and reddish flanks. Red also shows beneath the wings in flight; its name does not mean that the entire wing is red.

Birds move in response to fruit and other food supplies, and winter visitor numbers can vary greatly between years. Fields, hedges and fruit-bearing trees form complementary parts of its non-breeding habitat.

It nests in northern parts of its range. BTO gives a typical clutch of four or five eggs. British breeding figures do not describe its global distribution, and winter occurrence does not establish local nesting.

Retaining fruit-bearing vegetation and quiet resting places helps visiting birds. Photographs showing the eyebrow and flanks aid separation from other thrushes.

It occurs in the non-breeding season in parts of the Maghreb, including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Presence varies among sites and years.

www.bto.org — Redwing · www.rspb.org.uk — Redwing · doi.org — Redwing · avibase.bsc-eoc.org — Redwing

Photo: Алексей Ябс