Black redstart

Description

The black redstart is 13–14.5 cm (5.1–5.7 in) in length and 12–20 g (0.42–0.71 oz) in weight,similar to the common redstart.The adult male is overall dark grey to black on the upperparts and with a black breast;the lower rump and tail are orange-red,with the two central tail feathers dark red-brown.The belly and undertail are either blackish-grey (western subspecies;see Taxonomy and systematics,above) or orange-red (eastern subspecies);the wings are blackish-grey with pale fringes on the secondaries forming a whitish panel (western subspecies) or all blackish (eastern subspecies).The female is grey (western subspecies) to grey-brown (eastern subspecies) overall except for the orange-red lower rump and tail,greyer than the common redstart;at any age the grey axillaries and underwing coverts are also distinctive (in the common redstart these are buff to orange-red).One-year-old males are similar to females but blacker;the whitish wing panel of the western subspecies does not develop until the second year.