This species is a migrant and winter visitor to the Indian lowlands. Two distinct subspecies occur. This is a male of the gray mantled P. o. phoenicuroides showing a contrasting gray crown. It is replaced to the east by the darker P. o. rufiventris which has an all black head. Both races overlap in the Delhi area during the winter. Both are members of the Eastern group. European subspecies (nominate group) are even darker with black extending well down on underparts and having minimal or no rufous on the belly. Redstarts in the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World Chats) were formerly classified as members of the Thrush family (Turdidae), but as first proposed by Sibley and Monroe and followed by the third edition of Howard & Moore are now usually recognized as members of the Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae). However this arrangement is not followed by all, most notably HBW which includes them with the Thrushes. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
References:
Ali, S & SD Ripley (1987). Compact Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press.
Collar, N. (2016). Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Ertan, Kemal Topaç. (2006). The evolutionary history of Eurasian redstarts, Phoenicurus. Acta Zoologica Sinica 52(Supplement):310–313.