Redwing

The redwing is a relatively small Turdus thrush, measuring twenty to twenty-four centimetres and weighing fifty to seventy-five grams. Both sexes have plain brown upperparts and dark brown spotting on white underparts. Its most useful field marks are a creamy stripe above the eye and rusty-red colouring on the flanks and underwing, features that separate it from the larger song thrush. The English name refers directly to that coloured underwing, while the nominate subspecies breeds across mainland Eurasia. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Across its range, the redwing breeds in conifer and birch forest and tundra, placing a neat nest in shrubs or on the ground. Four to six eggs hatch after twelve to thirteen days. The diet combines insects and earthworms with rowan, hawthorn and other berries, especially during autumn and winter. Migrating and wintering birds gather in loose flocks, often alongside fieldfares, blackbirds and starlings. Much migration occurs at night, when the far-carrying contact call can reveal birds passing overhead. (Wikipedia, general species account)