Redstart

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Redstart, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Amber listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	Bern(III),Bonn(II)

A sharp decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s was thought to be due to severe drought conditions in the Sahel wintering area in Africa (Marchant et al. 1990). There was a 20% loss of occupied 10-km squares in Britain between 1968-72 and 1988-91 (Gibbons et al. 1993). A recovery in population size began in the mid 1970s and appears to have been sustained subsequently, although with some setbacks. Range, meanwhile, has contracted further, especially in the lowlands (Balmer et al. 2013). The European trend is described as being a 'moderate increase', although the change since 1980 is shown as only +8%, with the trend graph suggesting declines in the early 1980s have since been reversed (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

No population change in UK (1967–2022)

The Redstart is a rare and perhaps overlooked annual breeder in Ireland. Breeding Redstarts are absent from the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Isles and most Hebridean Islands, from which suitable wooded habitat is lacking. Otherwise, they have a wide and patchy distribution in western and northern Britain, with highest densities in the wooded uplands of Wales, northern England and, to lesser extent, southern Scotland. Small pockets of distribution remain in southern England, mostly associated with heathland.

• 

• 

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	1144
% occupied in breeding season	38
No. occupied in winter	15
% occupied in winter	0.5

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Pasture Farmland, Grass/Heath, Moorland, Deciduous Wood

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

The Redstart's British breeding range has contracted by 31% since the 1968–72 Breeding Atlas. Losses are most apparent in the English lowlands and in Scotland, through the Central Belt and on the northern and western fringes of the range. In the 1988–91 Breeding Atlas, it was noted that Redstarts were increasing in core areas and decreasing in the range margins; these trends have continued.

Redstart is a summer visitor, arriving through April. Birds gradually depart in early autumn when we also receive passage migrants from the continent.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	8 years 0 months 8 days (set in 2007)
Typical Lifespan	2 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Adult Survival	0.38

Wing Length	Adults	77.8±2.7 | Range 74–82mm, N=890
	Juveniles	79.3±2.3 | Range 76-83mm, N=1481
	Males	78.9±2.5 | Range 75–83mm, N=480
	Females	76.4±2.2 | Range 73–80mm, N=405

Body Weight	Adults	14.2±1.3 | Range 12.2–16.2g, N=797
	Juveniles	14.3±1.5 | Range 12.2–16.9g, N=1327
	Males	14.3±1.3 | Range 12.4–16.2g, N=441
	Females	14.0±1.3 | Range 12.1–16.2g, N=352

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	A
Field Codes	2-letter: RT | 5-letter code: REDST | Euring: 11220

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

The sharp decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s was thought to be due to severe drought conditions in the Sahel wintering area in Africa (Marchant et al. 1990). A recovery in population size began in the mid 1970s. This increase has been associated with steeply improving numbers of fledglings per breeding attempt and progressively earlier laying dates. The trend towards earlier laying can be partly explained by recent climate change (Crick & Sparks 1999), and is in line with an advance of 12 days in the arrival dates of Redstart in the UK, between the 1960s and 2000s ( Newson et al. 2016). Mallord et al. (2016) found no evidence that changes in woodland structure affected populations in six study areas in the west of the UK.

Further information on causes of change

No further information is available.

Information about conservation actions

The Redstart has been increasing since the 1970s and hence is not currently a cause of conservation concern, although there has been a decrease over the last five years. The driver of change may be improved productivity although this is uncertain.

A central European study and experiment found that areas of habitat with sparse (short) vegetation and bare ground were important within Redstart territories, by making prey more easily accessible (Martinez et al. 2010), hence providing more open habitat and providing areas of short vegetation (e.g. through mowing) may benefit this species. However, it should be noted that Mallord et al. (2016) found no evidence that changes to woodland structure had affected populations in the west of the UK. Note also that providing more open habitat for Redstart could potentially also negatively affect several other woodland specialists whose declines may be at least partly related to the loss of woodland understorey (e.g. Woodcock, Nightingale, Wood Warbler, Willow Tit, Marsh Tit).