Güldenstädt's redstart

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Güldenstädt's redstart
Güldenstädt's redstart (male) from Ladakh, India

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Phoenicurus
Species:
P. erythrogastrus
Binomial name
Phoenicurus erythrogastrus

Güldenstädt's redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogastrus) also sometimes called the white-winged redstart, is a species of

Himalaya, Tian Shan, and Altai, in the countries of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.[2]

Female at Tilla Lotani (3,800 m) in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India

It is one of the largest redstarts, 18 cm long and 21–29 g weight. The adult male is black above except for a white crown, a white patch on the wing, and an orange-red tail; below, the throat and upper breast are black, and the rest of the underparts a rich orange-red. The female and immature male are brown above and orange-buff below, with an orange-red tail.[2]

It breeds at high altitudes from 3,600–5,200 m in alpine meadows and rock-fields, moving slightly lower to 1,500–4,800 m in winter where it occurs mainly in subalpine Hippophae scrub; some populations, notably the northernmost in the mountains around Lake Baikal, migrate further, reaching northeastern China. It feeds on fruit and a wide variety of invertebrates.[2]

Taxonomy and relationships

There are two subspecies:[2]

  • Phoenicurus erythrogastrus erythrogastrus, Caucasus
  • Phoenicurus erythrogastrus grandis, Central Asian mountains

In plumage and size the male closely resembles the white-capped redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus, sharing the black upperparts and white crown, but lacking the white wing patch.[2] Although the white-capped redstart is currently placed in a separate genus Chaimarrornis, this genus is not genetically distinct and is likely to be merged into Phoenicurus in the future.[3] Male Güldenstädt's redstarts also show some plumage similarities to the much smaller Moussier's redstart P. moussieri, including the white wing patch, while the females more resemble an outsized common redstart.[2]

The scientific name was usually cited in older texts as Phoenicurus erythrogaster, though this is an error in Latin grammar.[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phoenicurus erythrogastrus.
  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22710072A113283079.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^
    ISBN 84-87334-72-5
    .
  3. ^ Sangster, G., Alström, P., Forsmark, E., & Olsson, U. (2010). Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57: 380–392 Full text
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