Plumbeous water redstart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plumbeous water redstart |
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| Male in Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand | |
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| Female near Kullu, India | |
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| Genus: |
Phoenicurus
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| Species: |
fuliginosus
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The plumbeous water redstart (scientific name: Phoenicurus fuliginosus) is a cool bird that belongs to the Old World flycatcher family. You can find these birds in places like South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China.
Male plumbeous water redstarts are a dark, slate-blue color. The females are mostly grey. Their common name, "plumbeous," means lead-colored, which describes their dark, dull blue-grey look. These birds love to live near fast-moving streams and rivers.
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What Kind of Bird Is It?
The plumbeous water redstart is a type of passerine bird. This means it's a "perching bird," like many songbirds you might see. It belongs to the family called Muscicapidae, which are often known as Old World flycatchers.
Scientists used to place this bird in a different group, or genus, called Rhyacornis. But after studying their DNA in 2010, they moved it to the Phoenicurus genus. This is the same group as other redstarts.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of plumbeous water redstarts. One was first described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1831. The other, found in Taiwan, was described by William Robert Ogilvie-Grant in 1906.
How to Spot a Plumbeous Water Redstart
Plumbeous water redstarts are about 14 centimetres (5.5 in) long. That's about the length of a pen. Males usually weigh around 22 grams (0.78 oz), and females are a bit lighter at 18.8 grams (0.66 oz).
Male birds are easy to spot with their dark, slate-blue bodies. They also have a bright, rusty-red tail. Female birds are a pale grey color. They have a white patch on their rump, which is the area above their tail.
Where Do Plumbeous Water Redstarts Live?
These birds live in many countries across Asia. You can find them in places like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
They really like living near streams, small rivers (sometimes called nullahs), and larger rivers. They prefer areas with big rocks and shady plants along the riverbanks. They especially like streams that have lots of insects, like mayflies, for them to eat.
These birds often live in high places, especially in the Himalayas. There, you might see them between 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) high. However, when winter comes, they fly down to lower areas where it's warmer.
The plumbeous water redstart is doing well! It's listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List. This means its population is stable and not in danger. They live across a very large area, over 5,100,000 square kilometres (2,000,000 sq mi).
What Do Plumbeous Water Redstarts Do?
Plumbeous water redstarts are very protective of their home. If another bird or animal tries to enter their space, they can become quite feisty!
They have a cool way of catching flies from rivers. They fly straight up into the air, sometimes as high as 20 feet (6.1 m) above the water. Then, they glide back down in a spiral, landing right back where they started. This helps them grab insects in mid-air.
Gallery
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