We take a look at one of the UK’s summer visitors, the redstart <\/p>
Redstart birds are a colourful summer visitor to the UK. Their scientific name is Phoenicurus phoenicurus.<\/p>\n
Together with two other charismatic summer migrants, the pied flycatcher and wood warbler, the species is closely associated with Welsh sessile oakwoods. The woods at RSPB Ynys-hir in Wales, where the Springwatch<\/i> team was based for a number of years, are a fine example of the habitat and now is the best time to savour it.<\/p>\n
Though redstarts occur throughout the British Isles, nowadays they are a distinctly local speciality in the south and east. They become more common the further the north and west you go, where they frequent open deciduous woods, orchards, and heaths and moorland with scattered trees.<\/p>\n
See redstarts at Ynys-hir RSPB, Powys; the New Forest, Hampshire; Coombes Valley RSPB, Staffs; Strid Wood, Yorkshire; Carstramon Wood, Galloway.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> These members of the chat family invariably seem restless, and have a quirky, tail-trembling character. A good way to locate them is by voice. Both sexes call loudly \u2013 a penetrating \u2018hoo-eet\u2019 \u2013 and from April to mid-June the males sing from the tops of trees.<\/p>\n Their melody is a rich, sweet rattle consisting of two or three phrases, starting strongly but then usually fizzling out. The naturalist\u00a0WH Hudson described it as \u201conly the prelude\u00a0of a song \u2013 a promise never performed\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> With its red breast male common redstarts have a look of the robin about them. They also have red tail feathers, a slate-grey back with black faces and throats.<\/p>\n Females are a much duller overall.<\/p>\n\n
How to identify redstart song<\/h2>\n
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What do red starts look like?<\/h2>\n