Birds of Britain 

 THE REDWING 



Turdus iliacus, Linnaeus 



From the middle to the end of October, when the leaves 

 are falling thickly from the trees, and the dull, dark days of 

 winter are beginning to make themselves felt, we may be 

 aware, while walking along a country lane or through a 

 park, of a new arrival among our birds. There rises, 

 probably from the ground, a dark -coloured bird, whose 

 quick movement will at once catch our eye, and being in 

 company with others similar to himself, we shall have no 

 difficulty in recognising the Eedwing. Tired possibly by 

 his long journey, he will settle on the hedge a little in front 

 of us, and begin diligently feeding on any berries he can 

 find, as but little in that line comes amiss to our friend ; 

 and soon he will again drop to the ground, and we shall 

 get a glimpse of the deep red feathers under his wings 

 from which he has derived his trivial name. At this 

 season of the year Eedwings are essentially wanderers, 

 moving about in flocks of from a dozen to thirty or more, 

 stopping here and there where food is plentiful for a few 

 days or weeks, and then moving on, always southward, as lack 

 of food or the severity of the weather dictates. If the winter 

 be mild, they may be found roosting in large numbers in 

 thick hawthorn hedges or small plantations; for although 

 fond of cover, and spending most of their time among 

 undergrowth on the ground, they are not very partial to 

 large woods, preferring thick hedgerows or small coppices. 



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