Thrushes · Perching birds
Redwing
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Turdus iliacus
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Voice
Song
Song
Call
How to recognize it
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Small thrush, slightly smaller than Song Thrush
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Olive-brown back, pale underparts with dark spots
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Rusty-red flanks and underwing
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Creamy white eyebrow; thin piping contact call
About the species
The redwing has a quiet, understated look and a pale eyebrow above the eye. In parks and city edges, it is often easier to notice by its active manner and soft voice than by its colors.
It is alert and mobile, usually moving alone or in small flocks. Its song is short and subdued, built from repeated whistling phrases, and in flight it gives a thin contact call; migration often happens at night.
In spring and summer it uses light woods, birch stands, parks, and places with shrubs and water. It feeds mainly on insects and earthworms, then adds berries, especially rowan, in autumn and winter; most leave for south-western Europe, though some stay near people in winter.
Where to find
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In older parks with birches and spruces — along quiet edges and shrub patches, where Redwing drops to the ground to snatch worms and insects.
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Near rowan trees by housing blocks and courtyard paths in October — look for loose flocks feeding on berries and making short hops between branches.
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Along wet pond edges and canal banks with thick undergrowth — especially early in the morning, when a thin contact call comes from low cover.
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In bright, overgrown corners of parks and on rocky patches with short grass — it stays close to the ground, then makes sudden hops into the turf.
