Phoenicurus
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. 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.
Taxonomy
The genus Phoenicurus was introduced by the English naturalist Thomas Forster in 1817 with the type species as the common redstart. The name Phoenicurus is from Ancient Greek φοινιξ, " crimson/purple", and ουροσ -"tailed". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 led to a reorganization of the Old World flycatchers family in which the two species in Rhyacornis and the single species in Chaimarrornis were merged into Phoenicurus.File:Phoenicurus auroreus male and female s2.jpg|thumb|The species in the genus exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism. Pictured are a male and a female Daurian redstart
The genus contains the following species:
- Przevalski's redstart
- Eversmann's redstart
- Blue-capped redstart
- Black redstart
- Common redstart
- Hodgson's redstart
- White-throated redstart
- Daurian redstart
- Moussier's redstart
- Güldenstädt's redstart
- Blue-fronted redstart
- Plumbeous water redstart
- Luzon water redstart
- White-capped redstart
Fossil record
- Phoenicurus erikai.
- Phoenicurus baranensis.