Black redstart

    Phoenicurus ochruros

Castilian: Colirrojo tizón

Catalan: Cotxa fumada

Gallego: Rabirrubio

Euskera: Buztangorri iluna

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

A well conserved and growing species, its only threats are local problems such as illegal trapping and the destruction of the nests it creates in buildings.

Length / size: 14-15 cm / 23-26 cm

Identification: Small bird whose rump and tail are red. The male's breast and face are black and the rest of his body is brown, with a white spot on his wings. The female and juvenile are greyish-brown.

Song: It makes a short, penetrating and repetitive whistle, "veest", as its call. Its song begins with a few short and repeated whistles, continuing with a rough, metallic throat-clearing sound and ending in a fast and cut-off verse.

Diet: It feeds on small and medium-sized invertebrates and, to a lesser extent, it can consume seeds and berries.

Reproduction: The breeding season begins in April. The nest is a small cup made of twigs and leaves and covered with moss and blades of grass, and is placed in hollows or on ledges of cliffs and walls. The female is responsible for incubation but both parents feed the chicks.

HABITAT

Rock-nesting species that prefers dry and sunny environments, with scarce vegetation and abundant rocky places; it can also be found in urban areas and towns. In winter it can occupy steppes, wastelands and farms in river valleys. It is present from sea level up to an altitude of 3,000 metres, which it reaches in Sierra Nevada.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is evenly distributed throughout the entire peninsula in the northern half and is associated with mountainous regions in the south.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the entire community, with larger concentrations in the western half of León, northern Zamora and northeastern Segovia.

Movements and migrations: The Iberian populations can be partially migratory, going to places in the south of the peninsula in winter. The central European populations spend winter in the Mediterranean region, including Iberia and northern Africa; the prenuptial passage takes place between February and April, and the postnuptial in October/November.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 400000-900000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: