Redwing

Scientific name: Turdus iliacus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Small thrush with dark grey-brown upperparts, distinctive rust-red flanks and underwing coverts, and a prominent pale eyebrow stripe. Males are slightly darker than females; all birds show a pale spotted breast.

Size and weight

20–23 cm body length; weight 16–22 g (males typically 18–22 g, females 16–20 g).

Habitat

Redwings breed in open woodlands, scrubland, parks, and gardens across northern temperate regions, favouring areas with scattered trees and shrubs. They winter in open farmland, hedgerows, and grassland from lowlands to moderate elevations.

Distribution

Breeds across Scandinavia and northern Europe east to western Russia. Large populations winter in western and southern Europe, with movements driven by food availability and weather; vagrant to North Africa.

Diet

Primarily invertebrates (earthworms, beetles, insects) in breeding season; shifts to berries and fruit in autumn and winter, particularly rowan, hawthorn, and juniper.

Behaviour

Highly social and migratory; often seen in flocks, especially in winter. Crepuscular feeders active in early morning and late afternoon, spending time on ground foraging and in trees roosting. Nervous and alert.

Hunting tips

Look for sign in soft ground: small three-toed tracks and scattered droppings near berry-bearing shrubs and grassland edges. Approach quietly at dawn or dusk when birds actively feed; move slowly through open habitat to flush small flocks. Use terrain features and low vegetation for concealment when stalking feeding birds.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 4 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.