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A very ''grey''......Common Redstart? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KenM
- Start date
KenM
Well-known member
Ken, no plumage characters (including "squareness" of tail) can be be used in the field to tell the age of female Redstarts........ and hardly any in the hand at this time of the year for that matter.
To my knowledge any perceived "greyness" or "brownness" is caused by light conditions/, quality of photo (in this case impaired by strong direct sunlight) and individual variation/degree of wear rather than being an age related factual change from "grey" to "brown"......
If you have evidence of the opposite, do by all means enlighten me......(but please without distorting my True Colours
)
Peter
To my knowledge any perceived "greyness" or "brownness" is caused by light conditions/, quality of photo (in this case impaired by strong direct sunlight) and individual variation/degree of wear rather than being an age related factual change from "grey" to "brown"......
If you have evidence of the opposite, do by all means enlighten me......(but please without distorting my True Colours
)Peter
Last edited:
Φ-Filippos
Active member
Being a Cypriot, I agree with the above quote.
KenM
Well-known member
Ken, no plumage characters (including "squareness" of tail) can be be used in the field to tell the age of female Redstarts........ and hardly any in the hand at this time of the year for that matter.
To my knowledge any perceived "greyness" or "brownness" is caused by light conditions/, quality of photo (in this case impaired by strong direct sunlight) and individual variation/degree of wear rather than being an age related factual change from "grey" to "brown"......
If you have evidence of the opposite, do by all means enlighten me......(but please without distorting my True Colours
Peter
With the naked eye this bird was seen to have obvious grey upper-parts (not a vestige of brown!), there being no photo artefact/distortion to the images supplied, the second image is clearly in shadow....I have never seen a grey-backed Common Redstart before looking like this bird (and I've seen a few), hence the post! One might be forgiven for momentarily confusing it with Black Redstart, something I've never had cause to consider in the UK.
Cheers
KenM
Well-known member
Certainly unusual by UK standards, the previous Cyprus C.Redstarts that I'd seen were as P.phoenicurus irrespective of gender, so perhaps as you suggest Tim, a different race?
Cheers
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Samamisicus would show a very obvious pale wing panel
