Black Redstart

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Black Redstart in the UK

A rare breeder and a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor. The breeding estimate is 58 pairs for 2013 to 2017, and a mean of 65 pairs was reported for 2015 to 2019. The population is thought to have peaked at about 120 pairs. Breeding birds are centred on London, coastal Kent, East Anglia and north-west England, mostly on industrial and built-up sites. About 400 birds winter. It is Amber-listed and is specially protected at the nest.

Where and when to see a Black Redstart

October to March is easiest. Look on southern and south-western coasts: sea walls, harbours, cliffs, rocky beaches, boatyards and seafront buildings. Passage peaks in late October and November and again in March and April, when headlands such as Portland Bill, Dungeness and Spurn do well. In summer, males sing from high rooftops in a few city and dockland areas, mainly before dawn. Nest sites are protected by law, so watch from public streets.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Industrial sites, coast.
Diet: Insects.
Field note: Sooty male; sings from chimneys.

How to identify a Black Redstart

The size of a Robin, with an orange-red tail that it shivers constantly. The adult male is sooty grey-black with a black face and breast and a white panel in the wing. Females and young birds are plain smoky grey-brown all over, including the underparts, with the same red tail. It stands upright on walls, roofs, rocks and fences, bobs, then drops to the ground or flies out to catch an insect. In flight the red rump and tail sides are obvious against the dark body.

Call and song

The calls are a sharp 'tsip' and a hard 'tuc-tuc'. The song is a short, quick warble with an odd crackling middle section, like gravel being scrunched. It carries well over city noise. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Common Redstart: Common Redstart is paler, with orange or warm buff underparts, and the male has a white forehead and grey back.
• European Robin: Robin has an orange face and breast, a brown tail and a rounder shape.
• Eastern Black Redstart: A male of the eastern races has a deep orange belly cut off sharply from the black breast.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Black Redstart is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Moussier's RedstartLegendary · Coast (extreme vagrant)
• Common RedstartUncommon · Western oakwoods (summer)
• Eastern Black RedstartEpic · Coastal cliffs (very rare race)
• Balearic ShearwaterRare · South coast (autumn)
• Caspian TernRare · Coast (rare vagrant)
• European SerinRare · South coast scrub

Black Redstart: quick answers

Where can I see a Black Redstart in the UK?

In winter, walk any rocky or built-up seafront in the south and check roofs, groynes and sea defences. Birds are often alone and return to the same stretch each year. In winter it is found in about a fifth of UK squares, far more than in summer.

When is the best time to see Black Redstart?

Late October to mid-November, when migrants from the Continent arrive on the east and south coasts. After that, settled wintering birds can be seen until March. Sunny, calm mornings bring them out onto exposed perches.

What habitat does Black Redstart live in?

In Britain it breeds among buildings: docks, power stations, warehouses, railway land and city-centre rooftops, often with rubble or sparse weedy ground nearby. On the Continent it also nests in villages and on mountain crags. In winter it moves to mild, rocky and urban coasts.

Kit that helps

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