Observations on a presumed bilateral gynandromorph Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros paired with a male

A supposed bilateral gynandromorph Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros in northwestern Switzerland formed a pair with a phenotypically classical male, but apparently was not breeding. The bird was documented before and after moult, when all replaced feathers were again of the same sex type. It was also recorded singing, the song being typical for the species. This is the second recorded case of a bilateral gynandromorph Black Redstart, one of only a handful cases where wild bilateral gynandromorph birds have been observed throughout the breeding season, and the first unequivocal documentation of a presumed bilateral gynandromorph bird forming a stable pair with a typical male.

A new subspecies of the black redstart – Phoenicurus ochruros murinus subsp. nov. from the Altai-Sayan Mountainous Country and the current breeding range of the black redstart

On the basis of literature and collection materials, as well as photographs with geo-referencing from various sources, the actual breeding range of the Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin, 1774) was compiled. For the Asian part of the range, a probabilistic model is constructed for the geographic distribution of the species by the maximum entropy method, which is used to refine the range in some of its regions. Based on the collection materials of the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University (Moscow), Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) and Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty), a comparison of the breeding plumages of adult male Black Redstarts from the Asian part of the range was carried out. The revealed differences made it possible to describe a new subspecies from Altai, Tuva, Northern China and Western Mongolia – Phoenicurus ochruros murinus Fedorenko subsp. nov., which is distinguished from the neighboring Turkestan subspecies Ph. o. phoenicuroides by the absence of any contrast in the colour of the head, nape and back; all of which are concolourous dark grey. From Latin, the subspecies name “murinus” is translated as “mouse grey”, which characterises the colour of the upperparts of the bird. A revision of other subspecies of the Asian Black Redstart group was carried out and a map of their distribution was compiled.

Redstart Bird (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) with Non-Typical Plumage — Interspecific Hybrid or Eastern Subspecies in Fauna of Ukraine

A redstart male in plumage resembling that of the Common Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Linnaeus, 1758), but with black throat extending downwards the central part of the breast was recorded in Dnipro City (Central Prydniprovia, i. e. Central Ukraine) in April, 2014. Song, calls and behavior of the male were typical of the Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin 1774). The male was breeding with the Black Redstart female and successfully reared two nestlings. Both adults were captured and examined. The male with unusual colors of plumage exhibited strong resemblance to phenotype of males from the subspecies phoenicuroides of Black Redstart. Examination of specimens belonging to the subspecies in collection of Zoological Museum (NMHH of NAS of Ukraine) revealed that according to wingtip formula, the non-typical male is also similar to those of that race, in particular ones from Tyva (situated on border between the Upper Yenisei region and Mongolia). However, some plumage characters (signs of white color on emargination of outer web on some tertials and secondaries as trait of the subspecies gibraltariensis of the Black Redstart, as well as whitish belly and paler rufous color on lower breast and underparts as peculiarities of the Common Redstart) seem to indicate hybrid origin of the recorded male. The redstart male exhibiting both traits of the Common Redstart and Black Redstart was found for the first time in all period of expansion of gibraltariensis subspecies from west border of Ukraine eastwards and southwards.

Andra världskrigets ruinstäder och dess betydelse för svarta rödstjärtens Phoenicurus ochruros expansion i norra Europa

This is a literature review and synthesis of the fate of the Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros in northern Europe from the Second World War and onwards. Before the war the Black Redstart populations in the UK and Scandinavia were at a seemingly constant and low level. During and after the war the bombed cities in Central Europe offered optimal habitat for the Black Redstart. Areas with grass and weeds arose in damaged cities and created rich food supplies, large amounts of insects, and also suitable nesting sites in uninhabited and abandoned ruins and housing structures in city centres. The number of Black Redstarts increased dramatically in several bombed cities during and after the Second World War and a clear change took place in the species distribution in northern Europe. From central Europe there was a synchronous dispersion of Black Redstart to other regions in Europe, like Britain, Denmark and Sweden. The sudden growth and spreading of the Black Redstart population after the Second World War represents an interesting example of the importance of core sites for the distribution and growth rate of some bird species in peripheral populations.