No. 13. Chats and Starts

Stonechats, Whinchats and Redstarts

(Note: Click on photos to enlarge the image)


One of the pleasures of autumn and winter in Cyprus for anyone interested in birds is the influx of the Chats and Redstarts. When I was in the UK I only ever saw Stonechats and Whinchats on the rare occasions when I was on Scottish moors or Welsh/ English heaths, so I am always pleased to see the arrival of these colourful little birds at the back end of the year in Cyprus, as they make their southerly migration to their African winter locations.

Male Whinchat, showing distinct white eye-stripe

The Whinchat  and Stonechat are similar in appearance, both being approximately Robin sized. Both species like to perch in very exposed locations such as on the tops of single thistle stems, shrubs or bushes where they can be easily noticed against the sky. The colouring of the Whinchat shows off an orangey-buff breast and throat, mid to dark brown cheeks, and a whitish-buff rump. There is a very obvious eye stripe in the Whinchat (off-white in the female and bright white in the male) which is a good feature to help distinguish between the two species.

Juvenile Whinchat in first winter plumage

The Stonechat is also very commonly seen and heard during the Cyprus autumn and early winter. The female Stonechat is very similar in appearance to the Whinchat, but lacks the bold eye stripe, and the pale orange of the breast extends virtually to the rump . The male is much more brightly coloured than the female, with a jet black head, distinct white collar and a more strongly orange breast. It usually perches very photogenically should you have your camera handy.

Male Stonechat prominently perched to show its bold colours

Both the Whinchat and Stonechat have very distinctive alarm calls, sounding very much like two  stones being regularly knocked together. I often hear these calls early in the morning, almost like the birds are giving wake up calls to other birds around the garden!

Female Stonechat with rather muted colours compared to male

The (Common) Redstart is a summer migrant to the UK (but not usually seen until autumn in Cyprus) and is mainly seen in woodland areas and parkland.  The characteristic colouring of the female is quite a dull brown bird but with  the characteristic red tail that is frequently bobbing up and down to attract attention.  The male Redstart, as the attached photograph illustrates, in full plumage is strikingly coloured on the red of the breast, a black head with white forehead, and sometimes a white panel on the wings. It is often seen in the  trees and bushes surrounding the golf course and the agricultural fields at Mandria (where this picture was taken).

The bright display of the (Common) Redstart male

The Black Redstart is a much less frequent sighting in the UK, often being associated with old bomb sites (following WW2) and other derelict land, where weeds and untended plant life give rise to seeds and insects that are the favoured food. They are still seen (and occasionally breed) on industrial and brownfield sites, but their breeding numbers are very small.

Male Black Redstart, merging with ground cover

Fortunately both Redstart species are quite commonly seen around Secret Valley Golf Course in the autumn and early winter months, both in the vegetation around the course and  particularly around the Clubhouse itself. Keep an eye out along the access road to the course, where a glimpse of a dusky black Robin-sized bird with a distinct flash of a bobbing red tail is a likely sighting of a Redstart.

Black Redstart by Secret Valley  Clubhouse

All text and photos by Trevor Fordham.