I took a photo of a beautiful bird in a park in Kaliningrad, which is city in an oblast of Russia by the same name, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. I have spent several hours trying to identify it and I think I've now done it.
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| Common redstart in Kaliningrad. The white forehead is particularly pronounced. |
The common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) has two subspecies. The nominate subspecies, P. p. phoenicurus is found all over Europe and into Siberia. The male has a slate-gray head and upperparts, except the rump and tail, which are orange-red, as are the flanks, underwing coverts and axillaries. It has a white forehead and the sides of the face and throat are black. The wings and two central tail feathers are brown. The other tail feathers are orange-red. The orange on the flanks shades to almost white on the belly. The bill and legs are black.
It looks like a cross between a sparrow and a robin.
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