Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Male handsome and distinctive, with black face and throat offset by white brow, bright orangey breast, blue-gray back. Female drab gray-brown overall except for bright tail. Female told from female Black Redstart by warmer, buffy-brown (not grayish) breast. Found in mixed and deciduous woodland, heathland with trees and hedges; often uses coastal scrub, thornscrub, and other drier habitats during the non-breeding season. Unobtrusive; tends to perch rather upright and has a distinctive habit of shivering its bright orangey tail. Pleasant song can include various whistles and warbles, as well as drier, buzzier phrases. Calls include hard “pik” notes and a rising “weet.”