Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus Scientific name definitions

14–15 cm; 11–20 g. Male nominate race has grey crown to nape, palest in superciliary area, bordering black face and throat, black mantle, back and scapulars, blackish wings with compact bold white patch on mid-wing, orange-rufous rump and outer tail, blackish central tail and orange-rufous underparts; in fresh plumage has mantle scaled paler; bill and legs blackish. Female is mid-brown above, pale brown below, with white wing patch and tail pattern as male. Juvenile is dark brown with buff mottling above, buff with brown mottling below , with narrow rufous rump, black tail, white wing markings as adult. Race leucopterus male has larger, glossier black gorget, darker grey crown, deeper rufous underparts, female more olivaceous above, slightly darker below.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Sparse subalpine woods and forest , riverside thickets, secondary jungle, scrub, clearings, tea gardens, open country near human settlements, gardens and parks, in summer at 2800–3700 m. In Mongolia found in willow-studded upland moorland and near steep cliffs and streams; penetrates large cities in Korean Peninsula. In winter, occurs along roadsides and in Homonoia and Salix riverbed scrub, bracken-clad hillsides and open hilly country, sea-level to 2000 m, in Myanmar; in Thailand in understorey of open forest, secondary growth and scrub, from 300 m to summits; in China and Taiwan in hilly, part-wooded/part-cultivated country, commonly on telephone lines by roads, gardens, grassy areas with scattered bushes, groves with thick bramble undergrowth; in Japan also in wooded parks and gardens. Some evidence of territorialism in winter.

Migratory. Populations in SE Russia and NE China move down E Asian coast to S China, but some also winter in Korean Peninsula, where found in Seoul Oct to early Apr; autumn departure Russia from end Sept into first half Oct; passage in Mongolia noted Sept and main autumn passage at Beidaihe (NE China) late Sept to mid-Nov, spending winter in Fujian from mid-Oct to late Mar and around Hong Kong mainly mid-Nov to mid-Mar. Arrives late Oct in C & S Japan, most abundant there early Nov to late Jan, departs late Mar to early Apr. Arrives Myanmar Nov; scarce to fairly common non-breeding visitor in NW Thailand and N Indochina. Vagrant in Philippines (nominate race).

Insects, berries, seeds; in one study in China, five birds had eaten 68% insects (including grasshoppers, ants, flies, bugs and weevils) and 32% grass seeds; in another study in China, 66 individuals had eaten 77·5% insects, 22·5% plant material. Makes short flights from perch and short aerial sallies.

Song a variable series of short, sweet, mostly descending phrases typically starting with 1–2 short clear notes followed by scratchy trill and wheezy jingling flourish with some clear slurred notes. Calls include high-pitched sharp “tsip” or “fit”, “teck teck” in alarm (combining as “fit wheet”), and rapid rattling “titititik”; first of these may be used as song (“siup siup siup”), by either sex from high perch in winter quarters as territorial warning.

Apr–Jun in S Siberia, and May–Aug in Mongolia and Tibet. Nest a cup made of straw, bark, moss and rootlets, lined with fine grass, hair and feathers, placed in hole in ground, tree, rock, wall, bank or cliff, on rafter of old building or in building site, generally below 1·5 m. Eggs 3–6, pinkish, whitish, pale greenish to pale blue with pale warm brown spots and speckles; in captivity, incubation period 16–18 days, nestling period 13–14 days.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common in most of breeding range; rare on N edges, but abundant in SW Transbaikalia. In Korean Peninsula common breeding, passage and wintering species. A small breeding population discovered in 2010 in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, where the species was previously only a winter visitor (2 Hayashi, M. and Yamaji, M. (2014). [The establishment of a small breeding population of the Daurian Redstart around Yatsugatake, Nagano, Japan]. Japanese Journal of Ornithology. 63: 311–316. In Japanese with English summary. Close ). Status in Myanmar uncertain; fairly common in winter, possibly resident.