40 The Redstart. 



F.antly— TURDID^. Subfamily— TURDIN^. 



The Redstart. 



Ruticilla plianicurus, LiNN. 



BREEDS throughout Central Europe as far as the North Cape and in the 

 Pine regions of Southern Europe ; where, however, it is rarely seen except- 

 ing on migration ; in winter it migrates to Northern Africa, the Canaries, 

 Madeira, Senegal, Abyssinia, Arabia and Persia. It is pretty generally distributed 

 throughout Great Britain, though locally scarce ; its occurrence in the Orkneys 

 and Shetlands and in Ireland is rare, and it is unknown in the Hebrides. 



The male bird in breeding plumage is very attractive, vaguely resembling 

 the Robin in front and the Nightingale at the back. The upper surface is slaty 

 grey, with rufous-brown tips to the feathers ; the back of forehead and an 

 irregular line over the eye white ; rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut red ; 

 the two central tail feathers dark brown, the others chestnut red ; wings smoky 

 brown, secondaries with pale buff margins to the outer webs ; base of forehead, 

 face, ear-coverts, chin and throat black ; chest and axillaries chestnut red ; 

 abdomen and flanks tawny buff; bill and feet black, iris brown. The female 

 is altogether duller in colouring without the bright hues on the head and with 

 the under surface paler. Both sexes in autumn have long white fringes to the 

 feathers, giving them a greyish appearance which disappears in the Spring.* 

 Nestlings are spotted both above and below and, but for tlieir redder tails, might 

 be almost mistaken for young Robins. 



The Redstart is a summer visitant to Great Britain usually arriving in April, 

 though its advent is somewhat dependent on the state of the temperature. It goes 

 to nest in May, and in September flits by night to its winter quarters. 



The favourite haunts of this species are ivy-grown rocks and ruins ; old walls 

 nmnd gardens and orchards ; plantations ; shrubberies ; scattered open woodland 

 with ancient timber ; groves of birch ; wild commons, on poor and rocky ground 

 strewn with bramble and brake. I first met with it in the Stockbury valley in 



• It is usually supposed, that when the plumage of birds alters in the spring, it is done by casting the 

 pale or dull tips ; but, judging from birds of various species which have died in the uiiddle of their transfor- 

 mation, I feel certain that in many cases the colouring grows in the feathers themselves. I have a Redstart 

 before uie in which the long fringes arc jjartly huff and partly white, whilst the throat feathers are black 

 excepting at the extreme tips. 



