Phoenicurus

Phoenicurus
	Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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.^[2] 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.^[3]^[4]

The genus Phoenicurus was introduced by the English naturalist Thomas Forster in 1817.^[5] The type species (by tautonymy) is the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).^[6] The name Phoenicurus is from Ancient Greek φοινιξ (phoinix), "(Phoenician) crimson/purple" (see also Tyrian purple), and ουροσ (-ouros) -"tailed".^[7]

The genus contains the following species:^[4]

Przevalski's redstart (Phoenicurus alaschanicus)
Eversmann's redstart (Phoenicurus erythronotus)
Blue-capped redstart (Phoenicurus coeruleocephala)
Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
Hodgson's redstart (Phoenicurus hodgsoni)
White-throated redstart (Phoenicurus schisticeps)
Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)
Moussier's redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)
Güldenstädt's redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogastrus)
Blue-fronted redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
Plumbeous water redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus) (previously in the genus Rhyacornis)
Luzon water redstart (Phoenicurus bicolor) (previously in the genus Rhyacornis)
White-capped redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus) (previously in the monotypic genus Chaimarrornis)

Fossil record

†Phoenicurus erikai (Pliocene of Csarnota, Hungary).^[8]
†Phoenicurus baranensis (Pliocene of Beremend, Hungary).^[8]

References

^ "Muscicapidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
^ Collar, N.J. (2005). "Phoenicurus". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 769–773. ISBN 978-84-87334-72-6.
^ Sangster, G.; Alström, P.; Forsmark, E.; Olsson, U. (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. Bibcode:2010MolPE..57..380S. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID 20656044.
^ ^a ^b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
^ Forster, Thomas (1817). A Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds. London: Nichols, Son, and Bentley. p. 53.
^ Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 74.
^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4..
^ ^a ^b Kessler, E. (2013). "Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary". Hantkeniana. 8: 37–149.

Fossil record

References

Further reading