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the web of life in southern Africa

Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Common redstart, Eurasian redstart) 

Europese rooistert [Afrikaans]; Gekraagde roodstaart [Dutch]; Rougequeue ŕ front blanc [French]; Gartenrotschwanz [German]; Rabirruivo-de-testa-branca [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Passeriformes > Family: Muscicapidae

Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Common redstart, Eurasian redstart) Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Common redstart, Eurasian redstart)

Common redstart male, France. [photo Frédéric Maillot ©]

Common redstart female, Sweden. [photo Magnus Sjöberg ©]

Distribution and habitat

Its breeding grounds across much of Europe and Asia; in the non-breeding season it heads south to Africa north of the Equator. It is a rare vagrant in a number of countries further south, including two records in southern Africa. A male was once seen in the near Klerksdorp in the North-West Province, South Africa in 1988 and a female was recorded at Harare, Zimbabwe in early 1995. It generally prefers arid or semi-arid woodland, such as riverine Acacia woodland.