The Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) is a small songbird from Asia. The species was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family but is now generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withDaurian redstarts are strongly sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females are not similar in their appearance. Breeding males have a grey crown and nape with lighter forehead and crown-sides, a black face and chin, brownish mantle and wings, and a large white wing patch; the chest, lower back, and rump are orange, and the tail is black with orange sides. Juvenile males are similarly patterned but much duller and less clearly marked. Females are warm brown above, paler below, have an orange rump and tail sides, and have a large white wing patch similar to the males. Bill, eye, legs, and feet are black in both sexes.
Daurian redstarts are found in Manchuria, southeastern Russia, northeastern Mongolia, central China, and Korea. They are migratory with some populations wintering in Korea, Japan, southeast coastal China, and Taiwan, and other populations spending winter in northeast India and parts of Southeast Asia. Daurian redstarts prefer to live in open forests, forest edges, agricultural margins, and are also commonly found in parks and urban gardens.
Daurian redstarts are active during the day and usually spend their time singly or in pairs. They don't tend to form flocks and during the breeding season become territorial. They feed during the daylight hours searching for food both in trees and on the ground. Daurian redstarts have an agile flight when foraging and can even perform short aerial sallies. They are not wary of humans and often allow them to approach quite closely before flying away.
Daurian redstarts are carnivores (insectivores) and herbivores (frugivores, granivores). Insects make up a large part of their diet, especially during the breeding season and they also eat berries and seeds.
Daurian redstarts are monogamous, meaning they form pairs that last more than one breeding season. They usually breed in the summer months. Pairs nest may nest in a tree, rock, bank, cliff, old building, and even in a hole in the ground. The female lays between 3 and 6 eggs which are then incubated for about 16-18 days. The chicks hatch blind and helpless and usually remain in the nest for about 2 weeks.
There are no known threats to this species at present.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Daurian redstart is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. National population estimates of this species include: around 100-100,000 breeding pairs, around 50-10,000 individuals on migration and 1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in China; around 1,000-10,000 individuals on migration and 1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Taiwan; around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in Korea and 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and 1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in Russia. Currently, the Daurian redstart is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
