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Redwing

Turdus iliacus

The redwing is a migratory species, returning to Finland in April. Its species specific song can be heard through the forests, ends with a rattling, creaking sound. Photo Christer Hangelin.

General information. The redwing is one of the most common and largest populations of nesting bird species in Finland. Their numbers have remained stable over the past two decades.

  • Length 22 cm
  • Nests at the top of a shrubbery or tree, in young spruce, juniper and in trees lower than 5 meters tall
  • Winters in western-and southern Europe
  • Feeds on earthworms, conches, insects and berries

Habitat. The redwing has a well developed ability to adapt according to changes in its living environment. It thrives in all kinds of biotopes, where the flora consists of predominately forest or semi-open shrubbery. The largest nesting populations form in groves, where the redwing typically nests alongside the fieldfare. The fieldfare defends its nesting territory fiercely from crows and magpies, and as the redwing tends to nest nearby, it too benefits from this protection.

The redwing also nests in mixed-type, heathland and sparse pine forests. It is, alongside the willow warbler, the dominant species in moors or young plantations.

Distribution in Vaasa. The redwing is a common species. It is evenly distributed over the whole survey area and on the forested islands of the inner archipelago. It is absent from the vast, treeless fields of Söderfjärden.