Redwing

“Turdus illacus”

The Redwing of the thrush family is a red listed bird often seen in the winter . It has orange / red patches on its flank and a cream strip above the eye.

They eat worms and berries.

I have seen a flock of Redwing strip several trees of berries in a few days. They choose the juiciest ripest berries and discard the ones they don’t want

They are 21cm in length

They have a wingspan of 33 to 35cm

They weigh in at between 50 and 75g.

So few birds nest in the uk but lots visit

They are often seen with flocks of Fieldfares.

Most often seen between September and April most travel to the uk from Iceland and Scandinavia.

They are shy birds and when disturbed will fly to a nearby tree before returning to feed.

Redwing