Fun Daurian Redstart Facts For Kids

Want your kids to enhance their knowledge about animals and birds? You could introduce them to these beautiful and stunning redstarts. Hopefully, the color palette and the stately nature of this avian will fascinate your kids and catch their attention!

The Daurian redstart is a small bird and the Daurian redstart scientific name is Phoenicurus auroreus . The avian is passerine, meaning the toes of the bird are adapted to perching on the branches of trees. The distribution of this bird is widespread across the temperate regions of the Asian continent, particularly East Asia. In Japan, the bird has a local name. The bird of the family Muscicapidae is called jōbitaki (ジョウビタキ) in Japan. There are two recognized subspecies of this bird of the family Muscicapidae. They are the Phoenicurus auroreus auroreus and the Phoenicurus auroreus leucopterus. The distribution of the first subspecies differs from the second subspecies.

Breeding males have a gray crown, while juvenile males are similarly patterned but duller and less clearly marked. The throat, mantle, feet, and chin are black and the bill is blackish in color. The rump of these birds is orange with orange underparts. A female Daurian redstart has brown plumage and the tail pattern of the male and female is similar. The description of young redstarts is different from the adult male and female. This description where the nestling is similarly patterned but much duller helps them to stand apart from the adult male and female.

Continue reading for more interesting and fun facts about these redstarts. If you like reading about this avian, you may also like reading about the pelican and the swallow-tailed kite.

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What type of animal is a Daurian redstart?

The redstart is a bird belonging to the phylum Chordata and belongs to the order Passeriformes. The Daurian redstart's scientific name is Phoenicurus auroreus.

What class of animal does a Daurian redstart belong to?

The Daurian redstart belongs to the class Aves, meaning it is a bird.

How many Daurian redstarts are there in the world?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the population of these redstarts in the world is stable. However, the exact number of mature individuals of these birds is not known.

Where does a Daurian redstart live?

The Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) can be found in shrublands and forests. These avians love foraging in open areas. These redstarts are also found near human habitations in parks and gardens. In winters, the birds may turn territorial. The avian is known to prefer both terrestrial and artificial habitats. Also, the avian prefers temperate and sub-tropical climates and they are known to dwell in alpine vegetation.

What is a Daurian redstart's habitat?

The Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) is found in East Asia and other parts of Southeast Asia. These birds are found in China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, and Siberia.

Who do Daurian redstarts live with?

These avians are seen in small populations and groups during the breeding season.

How long does a Daurian redstart live?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the average lifespan of this bird is around four years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding behavior of these avians is interesting. In Mongolia and Tibet, the bird breeds in the breeding months of May to August. In southern Siberia, the bird breeds in the breeding months of April to June. The nest where the family genus breeds are built out of plant materials, hair, and feathers in a natural or an artificial hole in the ground, cliff, tree, or in a building. The nests are built at an elevation no higher than 4.9 ft ( 1.5 m). Three to six eggs are laid by the female of the species and the eggs of the species may be of varied colors. The eggs may be pink, white, green, or blue in color with brown spots and speckles. The incubation period for the bird is 16-18 days and the nestling period is 13-14 days.

What is their conservation status?

These bird find a place in international legislation. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Red List of Threatened Species, redstarts are classified as a species of Least Concern. Conservation sites have been identified over the entire range these avians inhabit. However, there is no action recovery plan in place. Also, no invasive species control has been reported to be in place. The bird is also not subjected to trade controls and international management. This avian has not been subjected to ex-situ conservation either. The population of these avians is not believed to be severely fragmented and there is no CITES legislation in place for this species.

What do Daurian redstarts look like?

These birds exhibit sexual dimorphism. Though the Daurian redstart juvenile male is similarly patterned, it is duller and less clearly marked. The males of the Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) in the breeding season have a gray crown. The throat, mantle, feet, and chin are black. The rump and tail are red-orange in color and the bill is blackish in color. The underparts are orangish. The female avian has brown plumage. The tail pattern of the male and the female avian is similar. This description outlining the different physical features of these avians help to identify and distinguish them.

How cute are they?

With their colorful and bright plumage, these birds are definitely cute. The chick is also very cute due to its fluffy features.

How do they communicate?

The Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) uses a variety of calls to communicate with one another. The calls are often high in pitch. Calls are also used as territorial warnings by both sexes. The birds have calls like 'titititik'. The calls of these birds may also sound like 'tsip' or 'fit'. The notes of this avian are sweet and short.

How big is a Daurian redstart?

The Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) is 5.5-5.9 in (14-15 cm) in length. It is similar in length to the black redstart. Also, the size is similar to that of a robin.

How fast can a Daurian redstart fly?

The information is not available for this species.

How much does a Daurian redstart weigh?

The weight of these birds is about 0.39- 0.71 oz  (11 -20 g). It is a pretty lightweight avian.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males and the females of this species do not have specific names.

What would you call a baby Daurian redstart?

A baby Daurian redstart may be called a chick or a nestling.

What do they eat?

These birds are omnivores or insectivores. They feed on insects like grasshoppers, ants, bugs, and flies as well as plant materials like seeds and berries. However, they prefer insects over plant-based materials.

Are they poisonous?

The Daurian redstart, much like the American redstart, painted redstart and Caspian tern, is not poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Daurian redstarts are wild birds. However, as they like to live in parks and gardens, you may be able to spot one if you leave about bird food.

Did you know...

Daurian redstart similar birds include the black redstart and the white-winged redstart.

The P.a. auroreus is found in Japan, China, and Korea. The P.a. leucopterus is found mainly in China. The P.a. leucopterus male is slightly larger.

This bird gets it name from its tail which is red-orange in color. The word 'start' is an old word for 'tail'.

These birds are active by nature and are known to make short flights from trees where they remain perched. Daurian redstart birds are songbirds and are graceful birds. These are often found near streams.

Do Daurian redstarts migrate?

Yes, Daurian redstarts are birds that exhibit a full migration pattern. The birds reach Japan earlier than other birds and they also depart from Japan earlier. Some birds spend their winters in Korea and fall in Russia. Some birds spend their winters in Fujian. Also, some non-breeding birds are found in northwest Thailand and north Indochina.

Are Daurian redstarts endangered?

Daurian redstarts are not endangered.  

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Brant facts and Arctic Tern facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable redstart coloring pages.