Eastern Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides) on Djursland

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

On 5 November 2016, a first-winter male Eastern Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides was observed at Boennerup Harbour, Jutland, Denmark. It was actively feeding on and along the granite blocks bordering the harbour. It has turned out that it had already been present and photographed (photo unfortunately deleted) on 25 October when it was considered to be a late Common Redstart P. phoenicurus by the finder and local bird photographer John Mortensen who also managed to relocated the bird yesterday on 4 November. After the first photos were published on Facebook, it was re-identified as an Eastern Black Redstart.

Eastern Black Redstart is a long distance migrant from its central Asian breeding grounds to wintering areas in central India west to northeast Africa. Its breeding and wintering distribution is comparable to species that occur regularly in northwest Europe, including Desert Wheatear and Isabelline Shrike (Slack 2009).

When encountering an Eastern Black Redstart the possibility of a hybrid needs to be ruled out. The best way to assess if the bird is a hybrid is to take a look at the wing formula. Steijn (2005) proposed differences based upon the emarginations on p3-6 for phoenicuroides and a ratio for spacing between p5-6 and p6-7. The set of photos below provides a good indication that the bird in question is not a hybrid

There is an interesting paper on the taxonomy of Black Redstarts by Ertan (2006) which concluded that Eastern Black Redstart, phoenicuroides (and rufiventris) were the most divergent subspecies in the Black Redstart complex, and that they appear to be more closely related to Hodgson’s Redstart P. hodgsoni than Western Black Redstart gibraltariensis (and aterrimus) and as such may warrant full species status. Steijn (2005) also suggested there might be merit in treating phoenicuroides (and rufiventris) as a separate species. This is also reported in Slack (2009).

In summary, this very smart, distinctive bird represents potentially the first record of Eastern Black Redstart in Denmark.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016. The wing formula looks spot on for (Eastern) Black Redstart. Some hybrids Redstart X Black Redstart have wing formula closer to Common Redstart.

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart, Boennerup Harbour, Djursland, Denmark, 05.11.2016. The Eastern Black Redstart can be aged as a 1cy bird due to the pattern on the outer tail feather which has a dark patch on the outer webm a pattern which lacks in adult plumage, and due to the colour of the feather shaft tip which is black in a larger extent than in adult males.

As seen in the photos the lower belly is cream/whitish, a character shared with hybrids Redstart X Black Redstart which have quiet extensive white here - male Common Redstart character. However on checking the character on live DNA-tested birds, it seems normal for young male phoenicuroides to have a white patch between the legs.

1st winter male Common Redstart, Vesteroe Harbour, Laesoe, Denmark, December 2014. It is shown her for comparison with the Eastern Black Redstart. Note the differences in wing formula where there is no emargination on p6 and were the spacing ratio p5-6:p6-7 = 1:1 in the Common Redstart.