Phoenicurus

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Phoenicurus

| image = Black Redstart I2 IMG 0862.jpg

| image_caption = Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

| taxon = Phoenicurus

| authority = Forster, T, 1817

| type_species = Phoenicurus ruticilla{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=183 |title= Muscicapidae |author= |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-07-15}} = Motacilla phoenicurus

| type_species_authority = T. Forster, 1817

}}

Phoenicurus is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They are named redstarts from their orange-red tails ('start' is an old name for a tail). They are small insectivores, the males mostly brightly coloured in various combinations of red, blue, white, and black, the females light brown with a red tail.{{ cite book | last=Collar | first=N.J. | year=2005 | chapter=Phoenicurus | editor1-last=del Hoyo | editor1-first=J. | editor2-last=Elliott | editor2-first=A. | editor3-last=Christie | editor3-first=D.A. | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World | volume=10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes | location=Barcelona, Spain | publisher=Lynx Edicions | isbn=978-84-87334-72-6 | pages=769–773 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0010unse/page/770/mode/1up | chapter-url-access=registration }} A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 led to a reorganization of the Old World flycatchers family in which the two species in Rhyacornis and the single species in Chaimarrornis were merged into Phoenicurus.{{ cite journal | last1=Sangster | first1=G. | last2=Alström | first2=P. | last3=Forsmark | first3=E. | last4=Olsson | first4=U. | year=2010 | title=Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=57 | issue=1 | pages=380–392 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008 | pmid=20656044| bibcode=2010MolPE..57..380S }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | title=Chats, Old World flycatchers | work=World Bird List Version 6.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/chats/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union| access-date=20 May 2016 }}

File:Phoenicurus auroreus male and female s2.jpg. Pictured are a male (left) and a female Daurian redstart]]

The genus Phoenicurus was introduced by the English naturalist Thomas Forster in 1817.{{ cite book | last=Forster | first=Thomas | author-link=Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster | year=1817 | title=A Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds | place=London | publisher=Nichols, Son, and Bentley | page=53 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13330970 }} The type species (by tautonymy) is the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Paynter | editor2-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1960 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=10 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=74 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14486263 }} The name Phoenicurus is from Ancient Greek φοινιξ (phoinix), "(Phoenician) crimson/purple" (see also Tyrian purple), and ουροσ (-ouros) -"tailed".{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n304 304]}}.

The genus contains the following species:

• Przevalski's redstart (Phoenicurus alaschanicus)
• Eversmann's redstart (Phoenicurus erythronotus)
• Blue-capped redstart (Phoenicurus coeruleocephala)
• Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
• Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
• Hodgson's redstart (Phoenicurus hodgsoni)
• White-throated redstart (Phoenicurus schisticeps)
• Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)
• Moussier's redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)
• Güldenstädt's redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogastrus)
• Blue-fronted redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
• Plumbeous water redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus) (previously in the genus Rhyacornis)
• Luzon water redstart (Phoenicurus bicolor) (previously in the genus Rhyacornis)
• White-capped redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus) (previously in the monotypic genus Chaimarrornis)