# Redwing (*Turdus iliacus*) The Redwing is a beautiful bird with a reddish-orange patch under its wings. It loves to eat berries and can often be found hopping around in fields and gardens. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Redwing](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Redwing_Turdus_iliacus.jpg&width=800) Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Redwing_Turdus_iliacus.jpg) ## Appearance The Redwing is a medium-sized thrush with a dark brown back and streaky white underparts. It has a distinctive creamy-white stripe above its eye and bright reddish-orange patches under its wings and on its flanks, making it unique. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Passeriformes - **Family:** Turdidae - **Genus:** Turdus ## Interesting facts - Redwings can be found across vast areas from Iceland to Siberia! - Redwings often fly in giant flocks, sometimes thousands of birds strong! - Their flight call is a high-pitched 'tseep', which helps them keep together at night. - These birds sometimes sing softly in their winter roosts, a tiny, hushed concert. ## Special abilities - **Night Navigator:** Redwing can migrate thousands of kilometers by night, navigating using stars and Earth's magnetic field to reach warmer lands. - **Berry Banquet Finder:** Redwing has keen eyesight that helps them spot hidden berries and fruits, ensuring they find food even in harsh winter conditions. - **Secret Songster:** Redwing can sing a beautiful, warbling song, often heard during breeding season, to attract a mate and defend its territory. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 20-24 cm - **Wingspan:** 33-36 cm - **Weight:** 0.05-0.075 kg - **Lifespan:** 2-10 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 4-6 - **Incubation:** 11-15 days - **Migration Distance:** 5000 km ## Diet & Feeding Redwings enjoy a varied diet of insects, worms, and juicy berries, especially in winter! - **Primary Foods:** earthworms, snails, beetles, rowan berries, hawthorn berries, ivy berries - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Sparrowhawk (*Accipiter nisus*) — A common predator of Redwings during migration. - **Eats:** [Earthworm](https://www.snappit.app/explore/earthworm) (*Lumbricus terrestris*) — A primary food source for Redwings, especially in spring. - **Eats:** Rowan (*Sorbus aucuparia*) — Redwings rely on its berries for food in autumn. - **Eats:** [Hawthorn](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hawthorn) (*Crataegus monogyna*) — Its berries provide essential winter sustenance for the birds. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter. - [Singing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/singing): Singing animals produce complex vocalizations, often for purposes of attracting mates, defending territory, or communicating within their species. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Enjoy watching birds from a distance, and don't try to catch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Redwing? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Redwing? 20-24 cm ### What is Redwing's wingspan? 33-36 cm ### How much does Redwing weigh? 0.05-0.075 kg ### How long does Redwing live? 2-10 years ### How fast can Redwing move? 60 km/h ### What does Redwing eat? Redwings enjoy a varied diet of insects, worms, and juicy berries, especially in winter! ### Where is Redwing usually found? Grasslands ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Redwing: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/redwing)