# Redwing (*Turdus iliacus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/redwing  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The redwing (Turdus iliacus) is a bird of the family Turdidae in the order Passeriformes, placed in the group of songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 61.2 g, up to 62.8 g, and a wingspan of 36 cm. The redwing is a migratory, perching bird of forest habitat with an invertivore diet, an omnivore trophic level and a geographic range of 11,970,000 km². It lays 5.19 eggs per clutch with 2 clutches per year, incubates for 13 days, reaches sexual maturity at 1 year, has a lifespan of 18.77 years and is listed as Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 61.2 g – 62.8 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 36 cm |
| Lifespan | 18.8 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 13 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.9 – 5.19 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Turdidae
- genus: Turdus
- species: *Turdus iliacus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Arceuthornis musicus*, *Iliacus illas*, *Iliacus minor*, *Lamprophonus turdus*, *Sylvia iliaca*, *Turdus betularum*, *Turdus gracilis*, *Turdus hortensis*, *Turdus hortensis*, *Turdus iliacus musicus*, *Turdus illas*, *Turdus mauvis*, *Turdus minor*, *Turdus musicus*, *Turdus vinetorum*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the redwing?

The redwing is a bird in the family Turdidae and the order Passeriformes, grouped with songbirds and other perching birds.

### How heavy is the redwing?

The redwing has an adult body mass of 61.2 g, with values up to 62.8 g reported. It is classed as a small bird.

### What does the redwing eat?

The redwing has an invertivore diet, and its trophic level is omnivore.

### What habitat does the redwing live in?

The redwing lives in forest habitat and is a migratory, perching bird.

### Is the redwing endangered?

No. The redwing is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the redwing live?

The redwing has a lifespan of 18.77 years, with values up to 18.83 years reported.

### How many eggs does the redwing lay?

The redwing lays 5.19 eggs per clutch and has 2 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 13 days.

### Who named the redwing?

The redwing, Turdus iliacus, was named by Linnaeus in 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Redwing (Turdus iliacus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/redwing