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Birds

Birds

Common name Redwing
Scientific name Turdus iliacus
Type Forest birds
Status Wintering

Medium-sized bird (about 23 cm or 9 in), small among thrushes, family to which it belongs. Greyish brown upperparts, white underparts with dark stripes. Flanks and underside of the wings of intense reddish tones, very visible in flight. Very marked eyebrow on the face and a white moustachial stripe. Relatively small tail.

Habitats

Woodland environment

Where it lives

Nomadic species linked to woodland vegetation and that transits from forests of mountain conifers to farmlands, with a special preference for olive groves and fruit trees in the lowlands. The Redwing prefers habitats with shrubs, hedges or low trees, as it usually uses the lower stratum of the forest.

How it lives

Wintering species in the province of Malaga from northern Europe. It breeds from April on mixed forests near water bodies. Two annual layings of 4 to 5 eggs. This bird feeds on invertebrates in spring and consumes seeds, berries and fruits in winter, complementing them with snails and worms.

Where it can be seen in Malaga

Frequent species in the province and present in most mountain ranges whose piedmonts have olive groves, such as the Sierra de Ortegícar, Alto Genal and many other areas of the Axarquía, Serrania de Ronda and Sierra de las Nieves. In the Great Path it is present in stages 10, 11, 21, 23, 27, 28, 31, 33 and 34.

Curious facts

Gregarious species that usually moves in large groups during the winter, often in the company of other thrushes. The Redwing usually arrives in a massive way and pushed by waves of cold that make it impossible for the bird to find food in such northern areas as Scandinavia or Iceland. It reaches its wintering areas exhausted and hungry after flying several thousand kilometers, always at night and resting during the day and only if this thrush finds forests which are closed and safe. Its physical exhaustion is such that the bird reaches the limit of its strength.

Present
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wintering Summer Resident Migration
Audios