BLACK REDSTART
This beautiful little bird is becoming quite common here on Kefalonia during the Winter. They are 140mm long, with the male having smokey grey to black upper parts and a black breast. The lower belly and tail are orange red with the 2 central tail feathers being reddish brown. The female is grey, brown overall, except for the orange red rump and tail. As soon as this bird takes flight, the flash of orangey red under the tail helps to identify them.
As I mentioned, this bird is often spotted here during the Winter months. I walk the routes of my guided walks regularly to see what species are about, and I see this bird on all the walks. I even see them on the slopes of Mt Ainos. Black redstarts arrive on the island between October and November and leave to breed during April. Redstarts are members of the flycatcher family and catch insects in flight as well as darting after them on the ground. On the coast, they will search for small crustaceans.
