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The black redstart is recognisable by its bright rust-coloured tail, as the name suggests (start means tail in Old English). Apart from an off-white panel on the wings, their plumage is rather dark. Male black redstarts, being almost jet black, especially on the face and breast, are darker than the females.
Black Redstart is a scarce breeding bird in Britain, with a population thought to have peaked at 120 pairs and largely associated with industrial sites and city centres. The species is regularly recorded at coastal sites in small numbers, and some individuals may overwinter.
These birds like to perch on roofs or other elevated structures and sometimes even hover in mid-air – similar to hummingbirds.
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Black redstart females and males are easy to tell apart. Females are much lighter than males and have a grey-brown plumage. The only feature that clearly identifies them as black redstarts is the red tail, but even this is sometimes only visible when they are in flight. During the breeding season, however, there can be some confusion between juvenile and female black redstarts. Juvenile black redstarts look very similar to the females, regardless of gender.
Black redstarts live in open and semi-open landscapes, inhabiting a wide range of places, from high mountainous regions to villages and towns. If there are no rocky structures available to nest in, they will also accept man made nesting sites such as quarries, buildings and walls. They only really avoid densely wooded areas.
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