Fieldfare or Redwing?
These two get mixed up constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from each bird's own page.
Fieldfare
Turdus pilaris
They travel in the same flocks. A redwing is song thrush sized with a bold creamy eye-stripe and rust-red flanks; a fieldfare is bigger than a blackbird, has no eye-stripe, and shows the grey head and black tail the redwing lacks. Size alone is reliable when the two are together.
Redwing
Turdus iliacus
They arrive in the same flocks, which is why this catches people. A fieldfare is much larger — bigger than a blackbird — with a grey head and grey rump against a chestnut back, and a black tail. A redwing is song thrush sized, brown-headed, and has the white eye-stripe and red flanks a fieldfare does not.
Side by side
| Fieldfare | Redwing | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Larger than a blackbird — the biggest thrush most gardens will see, and noticeably long-winged and upright. | Song thrush sized — clearly smaller and neater than a blackbird, and much smaller than a fieldfare. |
| Where you'll see it | On lawns, playing fields and under fruit trees in cold weather, and stripping berried hedges. Not a feeder bird. | On lawns and under fruit trees in hard weather, and stripping berries from hedges. Rarely on feeders. |
| What it eats | Berries and windfall fruit above all, plus earthworms and invertebrates taken from open, unfrozen ground. | Berries, windfall apples and other soft fruit, plus earthworms and invertebrates from open ground. |
| When | October to April only. BTO gives arrival on eastern coasts in early October and peak numbers November to March. | October to April only. BTO gives an average arrival of 1 October and departure in mid-April. |
| Status | Red listed | Amber listed |
Still not sure? Describe what you saw and we will rank every garden bird against it — including these two.
Both descriptions are taken from the species pages, which cite the BTO and RSPB. Reviewed 2026-09-20.