Redwings Appeared on About 34% of BirdTrack Lists During January Cold Spell

January 20, 2026

Redwing feeding on red berries among snow-covered branches in Northumberland

Research · Ecology

Redwings (Turdus iliacus) were reported much more frequently than usual on BirdTrack during a cold spell in Britain and Ireland in early January 2026. During the first two weeks of the month, the species appeared on about 34% of complete BirdTrack lists, compared with a longer-term average of less than 25% for the same weeks.

This is a reporting rate: it measures the proportion of complete species lists on which Redwing was recorded. It is not an estimate of population size or abundance, so the 34% figure shows how widely the species was being encountered by BirdTrack observers rather than how many birds were present.

The British Trust for Ornithology reported the pattern on 20 January after a below-average start to the winter for both redwings and fieldfares (Turdus pilaris). Reports of both winter thrushes then increased sharply as colder conditions developed.

Cold weather may have changed both movements and visibility

BTO notes that the increase could partly reflect new arrivals into Britain and Ireland during the cold spell. Redwings wintering farther north and east in Europe can move west or south when conditions deteriorate and food becomes harder to reach.

The organisation also points to another possible contribution to the higher reporting rate: cold conditions may have pushed birds out of the wider countryside and into urban and suburban habitats, where they were easier for observers to encounter. The BirdTrack data therefore show a clear change in reporting frequency, while the relative contribution of new arrivals and local redistribution was not determined.

Sources and image credit

Jordan, T. (2026, January 20). BTO Migblog – 20 Jan 2026. British Trust for Ornithology.Primary BirdTrack summary. Redwings were recorded on around 34% of Complete Lists during the first two weeks of January, compared with a longer-term average below 25%.

Image: MPF — redwing (Turdus iliacus) feeding on cotoneaster berries in snow at Jesmond Dene, England, 9 January 2010. Representative winter photograph, not from the January 2026 BirdTrack observations. Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Source