A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS, 85 



PHOENICURUS PHCENICURUS* 



178. Phoenicurus phcenicurus phoenicurus (L.) — THE RED- 

 START. 



MoTAciLLA Phcexicurus Linnseus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 187 (1758 — 

 " Habitat in Europa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Ruticilla phoenicurus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 329 ; Saunders, p. 31. 



Distribution. — England and Wales. — Summer-resident (late March 

 to Oct.), widely distributed, but local. Uncommon as nester west 

 of Exeter (Devon) and unusual in Cornwall. Scotland. — Widely 

 distributed but local. Rare as nester in extreme north of mainland, 

 has not bred Orkneys and only once Shetlands (1901), but is well 

 known in these islands and Fair Isle as spring and autumn migrant. 

 Breeds in Mull, but not elsewhere in I. Hebrides, but occurs regularly 

 on double passage at Skerryvore. Rare autumn-^-isitor to 

 0. Hebrides. Ireland. — Very rare, a few pairs breeding regularly 

 in Wicklow and occasionally in Tyrone. Very scarce on migration 

 at Lights. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Spring and autumn passage -migrant 

 along whole east coast from Kent to Shetlands. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from XorthCape to Mediterranean, 

 but in Spain only north of Cantabrian mountains, in Italy only in 

 mountains, and in Greece on passage ; Russia with exceptions of 

 Steppes, Tundras and Crimea ; in Siberia to Irkutsk and Lake 

 Baikal. Wintering in west and north-east Africa. Replaced by 

 allied races in Atlas mountains, and in Crimea, Caucasus, Trans- 

 caucasia, Asia Minor, Persia, and Bochara. 



PHOENICURUS OCHRURUS 



179. Phoenicurus ochrurus gibraltariensist (Gm.) — THE 



BLACK REDSTART. 



MoTAciLLA GiBRALTARiENSis Gmelin, Syst. Xat., I, 2, p. 987 (1789 — 



Gibraltar). 



Ruticilla titys (Scopoli), Yarrell, i, p. 333 ; Saunders, p. 33. 



P. o. gibraltariensis, Hartert, Brit. B., iv, p. 132. 



Distribution. — England and Wales. — Passage-migrant (Oct.- 

 Xov. and March-April and sometimes May) and winter-\4sitor. 

 Regular but generally in very small numbers along south and east 



* The generic name Phoenicurus antedates Ruticilla. — E.H. 



f The time-honoured name titys is erroneously used for the Black Redstart. 

 Linnaeus described under that name an old female of the Redstart, and not 

 a Black Redstart. Therefore gibraltariensis must be used, and as the Black 

 Redstart of the Caucasus is a subspecies (geographical representative) of it, 

 the name of the latter, being older, becomes the specific name of the Black 

 Redstarts.— E.H. 



