Common Redstart - a bird belonging to the family of blackbird, suborder of choruses, order of passerines. It is comparable in size to a sparrow: body length - only 16 cm, wings - about 8 cm, weight - less than 20 g. Females and males differ in color. The males have a gray back, a reddish belly, and the tail “burns with fire” (hence the name), often shuddering.
There is a white spot on the forehead, the sides of the neck and throat are painted black. The female is less bright, in gray-brown tones, but the tail is also red.
Redstart bird inhabits almost all deciduous and mixed forests and parks. Prefers to stay on the lower parts of trees, shrubs and even on the ground. Often settle near the person. They sing trill loudly.
Males from wintering on the African continent return earlier than females. They immediately look for a place for nesting - a hollow, a cave or a bunch of dead wood. They jump near the found place, far from flying away, because it can be taken by fellow tribesmen. It happens that they sit in a hollow and hang their tail, as if a sign: “There is a decent home, and with it a stylish groom!”
The female stumbles upon an “announcement”, flies up to the hollow, and soon there appear 6-7 testicles of blue color. Chicks will appear in two weeks. The female incubates mainly. The male rarely replaces her and sits a little. Most of the time of the day he sings, and even sang before his "marriage". It falls silent at midnight, sleeps for 3-4 hours, then again gives out a jolly trill, often taking off to the very top of the tree.
When the chicks appear, there is no time or energy left to sing. Every 500 times a day, the common redstart flies (male and female) to its nest to feed the offspring. This continues for two weeks until the chicks get out of the nest. But it doesn’t get easier for parents: they have to feed in the same way, to monitor restless offspring. Caring parent - Redstart. The photo in the article demonstrates the process of feeding an almost adult baby. This period lasts another week, as young people are still flying badly.
When the chicks grow up, they become independent, parents could have a rest. But after some time, new testicles appear in the nest. And again the hatching and feeding of the second generation for the season begins. A brood independently roams the forest.
With the onset of autumn, the common redstart begins to prepare for departure to warmer climes. Muted tones appear in the plumage of the bird, it becomes more dull, losing brightness. They fly away at the end of September and always at night. In October, birds reach Africa, where they spend the winter. They leave their wintering places in March, fly rather quickly, and in a month they reach their nesting sites.
The common Redstart during the summer destroys many nutcracker beetles, mosquitoes, caterpillars, ants, various leaf beetles, bedbugs, dung beetles, flies, spiders and other plant pests and their larvae. In this way, it greatly benefits the vegetation of forests and parks. At the end of summer, it can enjoy berries and seeds of plants.
A person often catches redstart in the spring, luring in various ways. The wings are tied to the caught specimens so that they do not beat in the cage for the first time. With good care and proper food, the bird takes root, and it can live in captivity for several years. However, it is extremely rare to hear her melodic songs.
