One of the ‘winter thrushes’, the Song Thrush-like Redwings begin arriving in Britain & Ireland during the latter half of September, before leaving again by mid April.
It is estimated that around 700,000 Redwings winter in the UK, although numbers can fluctuate sharply between years. Redwings come in search of berries, and, when crops fail in northern and eastern Europe, large numbers cross the North Sea. A small number of Redwings also breed in the UK, but only in the far north of Scotland.
During the early winter the Redwing is very much a bird of open country but during freezing conditions Redwings can often be seen in parks and gardens. With birds arriving from both Iceland and Fennoscandia, Redwings can be found across Britain & Ireland during the winter months.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Redwing
These two winter thrushes are easily told from each other. However, Redwing can be confused with Song Thrush, whilst Fieldfare is similar in size and appearance to Mistle Thrush. In this, the latest identification video from the BTO, we offer tips on how to confidently separate these engaging thrushes.
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Redwing, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Flight call
Call
Song
Develop your bird ID skills with our training courses
Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities.
Most Redwing seen in the UK are present for the winter only and return to Scandinavia and Iceland to breed. However, small numbers of Redwing do breed in the UK, with the vast majority of breeding records occurring in Scotland. The breeding population has been stable over the 25 years to 2019,with a mean of 27 pairs/singing males reported to the RBBP over the five-year period 2015–2019 (Eaton et al. 2021). However, there has been a range contraction of 32% in the number of occupied 10-km squares between 1968–72 and 2008–11 (Balmer et al. 2013).
Redwings are common autumn migrants and winter visitors, found in 92% of 10-km squares during winter. The higher Scottish uplands are among the few areas with no Redwings in winter although many occupied upland areas support very low densities in winter. Highest densities occur in western lowlands, in particular throughout Ireland and in southwest Wales, southwest England and the West Midlands. Redwings are very rare breeders, with probable and confirmed breeding records restricted to northern Scotland, in particular Inverness-shire, Ross-shire, Sutherland and Shetland. The picture is clouded by many late departing winter visitors, many of which sing prioer to departure.
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Redwing is largely a winter visitor, arriving from Icelandic and continental breeding grounds in October and remaining into late winter and early spring. The tiny breeding population is rarely encountered on complete lists and does not appear here.
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
An overview of year-round movements for the whole of Europe can be seen on the EuroBirdPortal viewer.
New research from BTO has investigated the effect of artificial light at night on birds, indicating that nocturnal migrants are attracted to more brightly lit areas.
Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
REDWI 
Share this page