Small bird identification (2 Viewers)

[wendyjoint]

Can anyone Identify this bird for me. I have seen it twice only close to my home and have been unable to get a photo. I live in a wooded area next to the communal forest and usually see a variety of small birds on my feeder, but this one I just can't identify. It was slightly smaller than a sparrow, had a solid brown body like a robin and a rusty red breast, browner than a robin. It had a solid black head save for a white flash right on top of the head. I've done a very rough sketch to clarify.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
welcome to Birdforum!
Excellent idea with the sketch, that helps with confident ID.
Presuming you saw this bird in France, I think it’s a Common Redstart.

 

[wendyjoint]

I know the black redstart well, there are usually several around here, but I don't think this was one. For one thing it was slightly smaller, secondly it had a brown tail, not a red tail and thirdly it had a solid rust red underbelly, not light or white. I saw it originally face on balancing on the telephone wire, so I got a good look at the underside. However I may be wrong!

 

[Bewick]

I know the common redstart well, there are usually several around here, but I don't think this was one. For one thing it was slightly smaller, secondly it had a brown tail, not a red tail and thirdly it had a solid rust red underbelly, not light or white. I saw it originally face on balancing on the telephone wire, so I got a good look at the underside. However I may be wrong!

Possibly stonechat? I does not match your description though. Really does seem as if common redstart is the most likely option. Also size is hard to judge, lighting can have a huge affect on how you judge size.

 

[pianoman]

Certainly Redstart fits most closely with your description, bearing in mind that the russet on the belly can be variable and could cover almost all the breast and belly

 

[KenM]

What is your location Wendyjoint?

 

[01101001]

Possibly stonechat?

Whinchat looks slightly better?

Whinchat (male)

Magnificent little creature.

www.birdforum.net

 

[wendyjoint]

Possibly stonechat? I does not match your description though. Really does seem as if common redstart is the most likely option. Also size is hard to judge, lighting can have a huge affect on how you judge size.

Fairly sure it's not a stonechat. The more I think about it, it may be a redstart

What is your location Wendyjoint?

Hérault, France in the Natural park of Haut Languedoc, foothills of the Cevennes. An area renowned for wild birds, though they have diminished a lot in recent years.

 

[wendyjoint]

Certainly Redstart fits most closely with your description, bearing in mind that the russet on the belly can be variable and could cover almost all the breast and belly

You may well be right. It is possible it is the real redstart in it's new plumage, not the black redstart which seems more common here. Typically I've not seen it since!

 

[Bewick]

You may well be right. It is possible it is the real redstart in it's new plumage, not the black redstart which seems more common here. Typically I've not seen it since!

Slightly confused, you so understand they the black and common redstarts are two different species? Was that why you didn’t recognise it?

 

[wendyjoint]

Slightly confused, you so understand they the black and common redstarts are two different species? Was that why you didn’t recognise it?

Yes, I think so. I may only have seen the black redstart round here before. And normally I would see them on the ground wagging their tails up and down, which is so easy to recognise.

 

[Bewick]

Yes, I think so. I may only have seen the black redstart round here before. And normally I would see them on the ground wagging their tails up and down, which is so easy to recognise.

I had the same experience in France, black restarts seem to be more common and are pretty numerous in old villages. I’ve only ever seen a single common redstart in France.

 

[wendyjoint]

What is your location Wendyjoint?

St Etienne Estréchoux on the edge of the Haut Languedoc Natural Park. Hilly, wooded area, I back onto the communal forest. It's a well-known area for birds.

 

[Bewick]

Ironically my first day in France and a common redstart appears right outside my window.

Edit: turns out there’s a few nesting in the roof.