Field Guide
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Redwing
Turdus iliacus
Not yet photographed by the community
Small winter thrush with red flanks and a creamy eye stripe.
Species Profile
Amber List (winter visitor population vulnerable to harsh weather; breeding birds in UK are of conservation concern).
- Lifespan
- 8–10 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 20–22 cm, wingspan 33–35 cm; 40–75 g
- Habitat
- Open woodlands, scrubland, hedgerows, parks and gardens with berry-producing shrubs and trees.
- UK Distribution
- Winter visitor and passage migrant to the UK, arriving from Scandinavia and Russia from September onwards, with peak numbers December to February; rare breeder in northern Scotland.
- Diet
- Primarily berries and fruits in winter (rowan, hawthorn, juniper), supplemented with insects, earthworms and snails during breeding season.
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, Eurasian jays, domestic cats, and occasionally Peregrines and Merlins.
- Mating Season
- May to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4–6 eggs, incubation period 10–14 days, fledging at 12–15 days; typically one brood per season.
- Behaviour
- Highly social in winter, often joining mixed thrush flocks and feeding on berry-laden bushes in loose groups. Males are vocal during breeding season, with a distinctive song delivered from high perches. They are relatively shy and wary, often feeding on the ground or in low cover.
- •The redwing's name derives from the distinctive russet-red underwing coverts visible in flight.
- •Massive winter movements can see millions of redwings cross the North Sea; some arrive in exhausted condition, occasionally found dead after severe weather.
- •In harsh winters, redwings may become tame and visit gardens, competing with other thrushes for berries.
- •The species was first recorded breeding in Scotland in 1953 and now has a small but fluctuating breeding population in the Highlands.
- •Redwings produce a thin, high-pitched 'seep' call in flight, often heard at night during autumn migration, which has become familiar to birdwatchers.
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