The Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros is an attractive robin-sized bird of the thrust family. The male is a stunning mixture of black and slate-grey, streaked with white on the wing. Both sexes sport vivid red-brown tail deathers, which give the bird its name. Although it is common in central and south-eastern Europe, Britain lies at the north-western edge of its distribution as a result of an expansion that began during the early 19th century.