the.com/redstart
A tiny firebird that shivers its tail like it's permanently buffering a panic attack.
means A small songbird of the Old World (and unrelated American species) known for its rusty-red tail, which it often quivers and flicks.
from From 'red' plus 'start,' where 'start' is an old English word for tail — the same 'steort' that survives, hidden, in 'redstart' long after we stopped calling tails 'starts.' So the name literally means 'red-tail,' a plain description preserved in linguistic amber from the days of Old English 'steort,' a cousin of words across the Germanic languages for tail or rump.
- tail trick
- Constantly quivers its rusty tail to flush out hiding insects
- name origin
- Start meant tail in Old English, not beginning
- two families
- Old and New World redstarts are unrelated, just similarly flashy
- long haul
- Common redstarts winter in sub-Saharan Africa
- sound
- Song often ends in a strange mechanical rattle
common redstart — small thrush found across europe and asia, males have orange-red breast and tail
american redstart — warbler species native to north america, males black with orange patches on wings and tail