A young bird with distinctive, light-colored feathers on its head crouches low in a Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris). It’s barely out of the nest when its first flight into freedom begins. The young Common Redstart still wobbles a bit as it releases itself from the fork in the branch. Its feathers are almost like those of its adults, but it still needs practice to fly. Just a moment ago it was in the nest, now it’s off on its own. Almost. Because the parents are still there, attentive as ever.
The Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) belongs to the flycatcher family (Muscicapidae) and is a typical breeding bird of open, structurally rich landscapes. Its young leave the nest about twelve to fourteen days after hatching. At this point, they are fully feathered but not yet fully capable of flight. The first attempts at flight appear clumsy, with frequent landings in low vegetation or on the ground.
Parental care does not end abruptly with fledging. The male, in particular, participates intensively in the aftercare by continuing to feed the young birds insects. The feeding rate remains high, as the young birds’ energy requirements increase during this phase due to intensive muscle training. Their diet consists primarily of flying insects, spiders, and occasionally berries.
While the female is already tending to a possible second brood in the same nest box on a Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) and withdraws from the breeding process, the male displays territorial behavior and warns the inexperienced young bird of predators. He warns of danger with typical, harsh-sounding calls and, if necessary, lures the young to safer locations. This phase of parental care usually lasts another ten to fourteen days.
During this period, the young birds display high site fidelity and only slowly move away from the nest area. However, it can be observed that they move their perches to significantly higher altitudes than immediately after fledging, where they can usually be observed at eye level. Their plumage still exhibits distinct juvenile markings with brownish scales. Full independence occurs as soon as the birds can hunt and fly independently – usually about three weeks after fledging.
The phase immediately after fledging is a critical but also learning-intensive time for the common redstart. It marks the transition from nest dependence to independence and is decisively shaped by parental care, especially by the male. This behavior significantly increases the survival rate of juvenile common redstarts in the wild.
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