Phoenicurus
| Phoenicurus | |
|---|---|
| Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Subfamily: | Saxicolinae |
| Genus: | Phoenicurus Forster, T, 1817 |
| Type species | |
| Phoenicurus ruticilla = Motacilla phoenicurus T. Forster, 1817
| |
Phoenicurus is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They are named redstarts from their orange-red tails ('start' is an old name for a tail). They are small insectivores, the males mostly brightly coloured in various combinations of red, blue, white, and black, the females light brown with a red tail.