Bird Album
Redwing
Turdus iliacus Linnaeus, 1758
≈22 cmLength36 cmWingspan61 gWeight
This thrush has a creamy-white supercilium above the eye, with red flanks and underwings.
Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Iceland, Spain
Looks like Song Thrush
How to identify
Field marks
- Creamy-white supercilium above the eye
- Red flanks and underwings
- Brown back
- White underparts with dark brown spots
Male, female and young
Sexes similar.
Voice
On migration it often gives a far-carrying “tseep” contact call.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Iceland, Spain
Redwing has been recorded at 1,044 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 69 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- KaldbakstjarnirIceland4,241 records
- Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom2,037 records
- Húsavík – hafnarsvæðiIceland1,892 records
More places
- Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom1,614 records
- Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom1,440 records
- Brent ReservoirUnited Kingdom1,303 records
- Elton ReservoirUnited Kingdom1,153 records
- Wanstead FlatsUnited Kingdom1,122 records
- Húsavík – skrúðgarðurIceland1,089 records
- Rutland WaterUnited Kingdom1,050 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The redwing (Turdus iliacus) is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Redwing?
The Redwing is about ≈22 cm long, with a wingspan of 36 cm and weighs around 61 g.
Where does the Redwing live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: central, western. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Iceland and Spain.
When is the best time to see the Redwing?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Redwing endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Redwing as Least Concern.
What does the Redwing eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Redwing in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈22 cm
- Wingspan
- 36 cm
- Weight
- 61 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 116 mm
- Tail
- 78 mm
- Bill
- 23 mm
- Tarsus
- 28 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: central, western
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Thrushes Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Other birds in the genus Turdus
Ethiopian ThrushTurdus simensis
Groundscraper ThrushTurdus litsitsirupa
Chinese ThrushTurdus mupinensis
Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
African ThrushTurdus pelios
Principe ThrushTurdus xanthorhynchus
Sao Tome ThrushTurdus olivaceofuscus
Abyssinian ThrushTurdus abyssinicus
Taita ThrushTurdus helleri
Usambara ThrushTurdus roehli
Olive ThrushTurdus olivaceus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Patrick Felker. ↗
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