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Black Redstart?

Attached are two photos from Mr C W So of the Black Redstart? seen on Po Toi this week.

[img]http://www.geoffwelch46.com/BlackRedstartCWS10.jpg[/img][img]http://www.geoffwelch46.com/BlackRedstartCWS11.jpg[/img]


It is clearly a redstart (red sides to tail, red rump and under-tail coverts) and not a Daurian (no white on wing and too dark generally on the body). I believe it is a female Black Redstart but I leave it to the experts to confirm.

These photos were taken at about 9.30am on Tuesday morning, just after the ferry arrived. At that time the bird was on the football field. Mr So showed great presence of mind to take a number of photos of the bird and I thank him for his generosity in making his photos available to us. Fortunately, he showed me the photos when I saw him later that morning and I was able to confirm it was a very rare bird.

After that time, the bird became very difficult to locate, partly no doubt because of the number of people crossing the football field to go to gravesites. Fatchun and friend saw the bird independently in the early afternoon behind the sister's cafe and recognised it was a rare redstart. After a lot of searching, I saw it myself briefly near the football field but was not able to take any photos. I also saw it yesterday but not until 6pm, this time near the ferry terminal and it was seen again today around the football field by a few people with one photograph by Jennifer Leung.

So, it is still there today around the football field but very elusive.

Thanks Geoff to post the photos. After reviewing some photos of different redstarts, I still think black redstart would be the most possible choice because of its color tone. I find that the bill shape of it is a bit different from the normal black redstart, although this might be the different angles of shot.

I am looking forward to a good news from experts who could leave some comments on this bird!
Thank you so much!=]

Chun

I found this article about a Black Redstart in Thailand. The comments regarding separation of Hodgson's and Black Redstarts may be helpful.

[url]http://www.aseanbiodiversity.info/Abstract/51001182.pdf[/url]

It seems like in all plumages the eyering of the Black Redstart is thinner than Hodgson's Redstart.

A great record - congratulations!

Mike K

Thanks Mike and Brendan and thanks again to Mr So

There seems to be general acceptance now that this is a Black Redstart. Let's hope it stays for the weekend.

[[i] Last edited by wgeoff at 8/04/2011 18:32 [/i]]

I saw it on 5/4 in football field. It stayed there for a very short time and then jumped away. The photo quality is not very good, indeed.

The Black Redstart was seen at Po Toi again today (Sat 9 Apr).

It was initially very shy and elusive, giving brief views in the morning and lunchtime period at three sites, all near the Sister's Cafe: (1) the edge of the banana field (next to the football field), (2) the wooded area on the left of the steps leading up to the Sister's Cafe and (3) the grave site that leads up to the school, but at the Sister's Cafe end only.

In the afternoon it was seen more frequently at site (1). Several times it flew into a large mango tree on the edge of a small cliff on the seaward side of the banana field. It would then drop down either onto the main trunk of the tree or onto the ground underneath the tree. It was also seen in the rocky vegetable field just above the banana field.

If anyone goes to Po Toi tomorrow, this is obviously the best place to look.

Also seen today on Po Toi:

a Hoopoe (at the grave site)
3 Ashy Minivets
one Black Bulbul
c 15 Chestnut Bulbuls
a few Yellow-browed Warblers
a Blue-and-white Flycatcher
Black-faced, Little & Chestnut Buntings

and from the Po Toi ferry:

3 Greater Crested Terns
c 30 Red-naceked Phalaropes.

A great day for those who saw or photographed the redstart, but otherwise, a dry & rather hot day, and not especially birdy for the time of year.

I thought it worth posting regarding the id of this bird.  Whilst there is general agreement that this is indeed a female Black Redstart no-one has really concluded why!

In actual fact, this is quite a straightforward identification in a complex sort of way!

Although this varies depending upon the light conditions the bird is clearly quite dark below, with the breast and throat being a uniform dark brownish-grey and with quite extensive dark reddish brown on the undertail coverts extending up onto the centre of the belly.  This can only fit a female Black Redstart of the subspecies rufiventris (which breeds widely across the Tibetan Plateau) or xerophilus (from the Kunlun Shan).  Xerophilus has quite a small range and is possibly best treated as a synonym of rufiventris.  Confusion between Black Redstart and Hodgson's redstart is only really possible when dealing with females of the Central Asian taxon phoenicuroides which compared to rufiventris is a distinctly paler below and a purer grey on the throat and breast.  Separation of female phoenicuroides from female Hodgson’s would be on the basis of the rufous being restricted to the undertail coverts of Hodgson’s and also in it often showing a whitish centre to the belly.

It is perhaps not surprising that the only previous record, also in spring, was a male rufiventris.  Pheonicuroides is possible in Hong Kong, but probably more likely in autumn than in spring (based on dates of other Central Asian vagrants to HK); identifying HK records of Black Redstart to taxon is worthwhile if possible as it seems likely that the complex will be split at some point and rufiventris and phoenicuroides are possibly valid species.

Thanks for this detailed explanation Paul.

The apparent level of darkness of this bird did vary according to conditions as can be seen in the photos. But it always appeared darker than the Hodgson's Redstart of three years ago.