Black Redstart

(Phoenicurus ochruros)

Category of conservation concern (IUCN, 2020) – Least Concern

Population size: 30 000 – 60 000 pairs

Distribution pattern

With patchy distribution, almost entirely covering the southwestern part of the country – the mountainous and fore-mountainous parts of the Rila-Rhodope Massif and north to the Western and Central Stara Planina. With less grouped and dispersed breeding sites in the Eastern Stara Planina, Sredna Gora, Fore-Balkan, Sakar, the Danubian plain, the Thracian Plain and the Black Sea coast (in the last three regions mainly in the settlements).

Comparative distribution of the species compared to the first breeding birds atlas (Iankov, 2007): Breeding locality until 2007 | Breeding locality until 2007, confirmed after 2015 – | New breeding locality after 2015. – The breeding localities after 2015 are identified on a base of raw data from smartbirds.org.

Habitats

Breeds mainly on screes, inland cliffs and exposed rocks, sometimes close to the entrances of caves. Very common in towns, villages and industrial areas, especially in the mountains, where it builds its nests on residential buildings, while in the plains favours abandoned construction sites or industrial sites. In the mountains, breeds everywhere in single or in a group of buildings among coniferous forests, and in the forests is found to build nests – in communities of Pinus peuce at the tree line of the forest.

Trends in population changes for the period 2013-2020

Not analysed

Threats

Not analysed