The Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros): Fire-Tail of the Cityscape

A male Black Redstart perched on a rooftop, its sooty grey body contrasting with its bright orange-red tail. — The male Black Redstart is a true urban specialist, often seen on rooftops and industrial buildings.

A Phoenix from the Rubble

The Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) is a bird with a truly captivating story. Once a resident of remote, rocky mountains, it has made an impressive transition to thrive in the "urban cliffs" of our towns and cities. After World War II, its numbers surged in Europe as it took up residence in bombed-out buildings. Nowadays, this striking, sooty-grey bird, known for its constantly flickering, fiery-red tail, can be spotted in industrial parks, cathedrals, and construction sites, adding a touch of charm to these bustling environments.

Our Ornithologist's Tip

By the Les-Oiseaux.com team, published on July 04, 2025

My personal advice: To find a Black Redstart, think "urban mountains." Power stations, warehouses, railway yards, and large buildings with complex rooftops are perfect habitats. Listen for a strange, scratchy song coming from a high perch early in the morning.

But the real giveaway is the tail. Whether male or female, a Redstart cannot keep its tail still. Look for a small bird that constantly bobs and quivers its bright orange-red tail, as if powered by nervous energy. Once you see that signature shiver, you've found your bird.

Identifying the Black Redstart: Male & Female

While both sexes share the signature red tail, their body plumage is very different.

The Male: Sooty Grey with a Flash of Fire

The male is unmistakable. He is a dark, sooty-grey, almost black, especially on the face and breast. Many subspecies also show a striking white patch on the wing, which is prominent in flight or when perched. This dark body provides a stunning contrast to the vibrant orange-red rump and tail.

The Female & Juvenile: A Subtle Smoky-Brown

The female is much more understated. She is a plain, smoky grey-brown all over, lacking the male's dark sooty tones. However, she still has the bright orange-red tail and rump, which she shivers just as enthusiastically as the male. This makes her identifiable as a redstart, even in her drabber plumage.

A female Black Redstart showing her plain brown body but bright, shivering orange-red tail. — The female is much plainer, but her "fire-tail" is just as bright as the male's.

Song and the Shivering Tail

The Black Redstart's song is as unique as its habitat. It's a short, three-part phrase: a few high-pitched whistles, followed by a strange, scratchy, "crackling" section often likened to shaking a bag of marbles, and ending with another short whistle. The most defining behavior, however, is the constant, nervous shivering of its tail, which it performs almost ceaselessly when perched.

Black Redstart vs. Common Redstart: Sibling Rivalry

These two closely related species can be confusing, but they prefer different habitats and the males look strikingly different.

Feature	Black Redstart	Common Redstart
Habitat (Key Clue)	Urban, industrial sites, buildings, rocky areas	Mature woodland, old parks, orchards with old trees
Male Body Plumage	Sooty grey/black body	Blue-grey back, bright orange-red breast
Male Head	Black face and throat	Black face and throat with a bold white forehead
Female Body Plumage	Plain, smoky grey-brown	Warmer brown, often with a pale orange wash on the breast

Habitat and Behavior

The Black Redstart is the ultimate urban adapter. It thrives in areas with complex man-made structures that mimic its ancestral mountain cliff habitat. It nests in crevices, holes in walls, and ledges on buildings. They are primarily insectivorous, often catching insects in short, flycatcher-like sallies from a high perch. Most populations are migratory, though birds in milder urban areas may be resident year-round.

Conservation Status

The Black Redstart is listed as "Least Concern" (LC) by the IUCN, with a large and generally stable global population. Its colonization of urban environments has been a major success. However, local populations can be threatened by the redevelopment of industrial "wastelands" and the renovation of old buildings, which removes the nesting cavities and foraging areas they rely on.