By Andy Stoddart, on behalf of BBRC and BOURC
Abstract An orange-bellied Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros at Dungeness, Kent, in November 1981 was originally accepted by BBRC as being of an eastern subspecies but a subsequent BOURC review led to the rejection of all four records then accepted and the removal of any eastern subspecies from the British List. This paper charts our developing knowledge of the appearance and vagrant status of 'Eastern Black Redstart' and the ultimate reinstatement of the Dungeness bird as the first British record of the Asian subspecies group phoenicuroides/rufiventris/xerophilus.
First-winter male 'Eastern Black Redstart', Margate, Kent, November 2011. Though initially reminiscent of a male Common Redstart, this bird shows the characteristic features of 'Eastern Black Redstart': a grey 'bib' extending onto the upper breast, no hint of white in the forehead, no obvious white panel in the closed wing and solidly orange underparts (with no white belly) extending to the undertail-coverts. The wing formula can be read here too, the ratio of P5–P6:P6–P7 appearing to be approximately 1:2 and therefore incompatible with both Common Redstart and a Common x Black Redstart hybrid. Pic by Steve Gantlett
Volume:
Issue 4
Start Page:
211
Display Image:
