208
PLATE 97: NIGHTINGALES AND REDSTARTS
Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia pm
L: 16. Dark olivaceous-brown, resembling small thrush, with rusty-red tail and pale underparts,
whitish throat and eye-ring. Very similar to Common Nightingale but darker brown above, with
duller rusty-red tail and darker brownish grey breast and flanks indistinctly (but variably) mottled;
far-carrying song distinctive. Usually skulking. Unlike Common Nightingale, does not pump or wave
tail. Voice Sings from cover, often at night. Song recalls Common Nightingale but even louder;
includes characteristic hard chucks, dry rattles and clear whistles; lower-pitched with delivery
more mechanical, less variable djüllock... djüllock... djüllock... drllrllrllrllrllrll-pst, lacking distinctive
crescendo of Common Nightingale. Calls include a high-pitched hiiid and a dry, rolling rattle.
Habitat On passage in undergrowth, scrub, parks, gardens. Note Passage hatched.Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos PM
L 16. Most individuals recorded in Oman referable to subspecies golzii (Eastern Nightingale). Very
similar to Thrush Nightingale but more russet-brown upperparts, paler, rusty-red tail, and often
more conspicuous whiter eye-ring; underparts ‘cleaner’, lacking mottled impression on breast
and flanks of Thrush Nightingale. Skulking, even when singing. The subspecies golzii shows
pale fringes to the tertials and greater coverts, paler underparts and a pale supercilium, with
upperparts less russet, more greyish-brown. Characteristically droops wings, much like Rufous-
tailed Scrub Robin; also pumps tail downwards, and waves it sideways part-spread, much like
Upcher’s Warbler. Voice Beautiful song, by day and night and sometimes heard on migration both
spring and autumn; high-pitched comprising loud, rich, warbling whistles with distinctive crescendo,
lu-lu-lu-lu-lee-lee, often a characteristic starting sequence, which not found in Thrush Nightingale;
lacks strong chucks or frequent rattles typical of the latter. Calls similar to Thrush Nightingale
include wwheep and a soft frog-like croak, usually from dense cover. Habitat Deciduous woodland,
scrub, gardens, wet and dry thickets. Note Passage hatched; occasional in winter in S Arabia.Eversmann’s Redstart Phoenicurus erythronotus wv
L: 16. Slightly larger than Common Redstart. Adult male has broad white patch on wing-coverts
(including primary coverts), rusty-red mantle and most of underparts, including throat. In winter
both adult and first-winter male (which also has white in wing) have browner-grey crown and red
parts fringed whitish. Grey-brown female told from similar Common and Black Redstarts by whitish
wing-bars and edges to tertials. Does not shiver tail but jerks it up and down. Often holds wings
below level of slightly raised tail. Voice Alarm note a croaking gre-er; call a loud, whistling few-eet
and a soft trr. Habitat Oases, scrub, woodland and gardens; in summer juniper woodland and scrub.
Note Passage and winter hatched, but rare in Arabia; vagrant Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia.Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros PM, WV
L: 15. Subspecies phoenicuroides occurs in Oman. Male has black upperparts and throat to mid-
breast, sharply defined from deep red below. Told from Common Redstart by darker upperparts,
black extending below throat and lack of pure white forecrown. Female similar to Common Redstart
but slightly darker and drabber, particularly below (Common Redstart more buffish below, with
warmer flanks and sides of breast, and usually olive tone to mantle); some female phoenicuroides
very similar to Common Redstart (but usually suffused rustier on lower breast and belly, with grey
cast to upperparts, even if head and throat palish). Often on ground; bobs body and shivers tail.
Voice Alarm a dry eet-tk-tk-tk. Distinctive song short, fast and dry jirr-te-te-te... chill-chill-chill-chill...
kretsch... sree-we-we-we, often uttered at night. Habitat 2500–5000m on stony slopes, rocks, cliffs.
In winter to sea level in rocky areas, open woodland and villages. Note Passage and winter hatched.Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus PM
L: 14–15. Male with black cheeks and throat contrasting sharply with rusty-red breast and belly;
crown grey with pronounced white forehead. Male samamisicus (Ehrenberg’s Redstart, breeds
Turkey eastwards; a few recorded on passage early spring) has white wing-panel and, often,
darker upperparts; autumn male Common Redstart has black areas fringed pale. Female brownish-
olive above, separated from similar Black Redstart by paler, warmer buffish-white underparts.
Hunts insects in flycatcher-like fashion; bobs body and shivers tail (as Black Redstart). Voice Call
resembles Willow Warbler’s soft wheet, often followed by tuuk-tuuk. Song short and melodious,
seeh-truee-truee-truee-see-see-seeweh; frequently imitates other birds. Habitat Woodland, parks
and scrub on passage. Note Passage hatched.