Red and yellow bird.. any ideas anyone? Looks like a massive Robin! Maybe a red breasted flycatcher? (2 Viewers)

[Dazla57]

Pair of very Unusual birds in my garden. Size roughly of a greater spotted woodpecker I think, looks like a huge Robin. Red/orange breast and yellow beneath In the sun, sometimes underneath just looks very light grey If not in direct sunlight. Can anyone identify this bird? Been here 3 days now First seen on Saturday lunchtime, last seen at 9am Monday. Not sure if might be a migrating bird from far off. Never seen these before.

 

[Dazla57]

 

[PYRTLE]

The image is of a European Robin. There can be a slightly diffuse colouring beneath the red breast on occasion. Not sure why the pair looked large to you.

 

[Fritz73]

Hola Dazla! A warm welcome to Birdforum from all the staff and moderators

 

[Dazla57]

thanks for your reply , but def not a Robin, as a Robin was in the garden at the same time and was less than half the size of these birds. The wings and shoulders are set back much further than on a Robin and the head is much wider and more erect. Smaller eye and longer beak in proportion to a Robin too. When it flew off, I heard it’s wings flapping like a pigeon, not a little flutter like the Robins make. This was huge, hence my question and the hope that someone had any other ideas at all? I‘ve never seen anything like these before.

 

[delia todd]

Hi Dazla and a warm welcome from me too.

The picture you have shown us is a European Robin. There is nothing else it could possibly be. Flycatchers are all in warm countries now and won't be back for a few months. Size is notoriously difficult to assess, even for expert birdwatchers.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I hope to hear about all the birds you see when out and about.

 

[THE_FERN]

thanks for your reply , but def not a Robin, as a Robin was in the garden at the same time and was less than half the size of these birds. The wings and shoulders are set back much further than on a Robin and the head is much wider and more erect. Smaller eye and longer beak in proportion to a Robin too. When it flew off, I heard it’s wings flapping like a pigeon, not a little flutter like the Robins make. This was huge, hence my question and the hope that someone had any other ideas at all? I‘ve never seen anything like these before.

This is definitely a robin. The bright, clear air we've been having recently can make birds seem larger [and perhaps closer] than you might think. As you'll see elsewhere on the forum, it's actually very difficult to be sure about sizes of birds—even when there're are several or reference marks nearby. I'm not convinced in this case but also be aware that there are many migrants from the continent in the UK over winter. See for example:

Focus On: Robins of the north.

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi there and a warm welcome to you.
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Hi and welcome to BirdForum. Definitely Robin. Size is difficult to judge sometimes. I was convinced I had a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker once. Took a photo and there was the red vent. Looked tiny from a distance.

Rich

 

[Chris G6 UXU]

Hello and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.

 

[RichieTwitchy]

Here's a size comparison with a Robin - I've affected the image as to mimic yours but not the scale - and as you can see the proportions fit perfectly.

If the pair are regular visitors - you mention they've been around for 3 days - then see if you can photograph further images or a video, but without anything for size comparison then you have to remember that it's hard to gauge a bird's size without something nearby to compare it to.

 

[dantheman]

Could be a pair of Red-throated Thrushes. Except it looks like a Robin.