Birds Guide

Redstarts
Common Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae
Species
See text.

Redstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family (Turdidae), but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae).

These are insectivorous ground feeding birds, many of which have the red tail ("start" in old English, which gives the group its name). Most northern species are strong migrants.

New World redstarts of the genera Setophaga and Myioborus are not closely related; they are New World warblers of the family Parulidae. The latter are often called "whitestarts".

Species include:

• Family Muscicapidae
  • Genus Phoenicurus
    • Ala Shan Redstart (Phoenicurus alaschanicus)
      Rufous-backed Redstart (Phoenicurus erythronota)
      Blue-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus)
      Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
      Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
      Hodgson's Redstart (Phoenicurus hodgsoni)
      White-throated Redstart (Phoenicurus schisticeps)
      Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)
      Moussier's Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)
      White-winged Redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogaster)
      Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
  • Genus Chaimarrornis
    • White-capped Redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
  • Genus Rhyacornis
    • Plumbeous Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosus)
    • Luzon Redstart (Rhyacornis bicolor)
  • Genus Hodgsonius
    • White-bellied Redstart (Hodgsonius phaenicuroides)