Appearance
The plumbeous water redstart is typically 14 centimetres long in total, with an average weight of 22 grams for males and 18.8 grams for females. The male birds are slate blue in colour with a tail that is rusty red. On the other hand, female birds are pale grey and feature a white rump.
Naming
The bird's common name refers to its colour which resembles lead.Behavior
The plumbeous water redstart is very protective of its habitat and will be extremely confrontational to any trespasser on its territory. In order to catch flies in rivers, it flies vertically until it is at least 20 feet above the water, before gliding down in a spiral back to the same place.Habitat
The bird is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their preferred habitats are streams, nullahs and rivers with boulders that are shaded, as well as vegetation near riverbanks. Streams with higher populations of insects such as mayflies appear to be preferred.They are typically found at relatively high elevations, with the ones living in the Himalayas seen between 2,000 metres and 4,100 metres. However, they tend to descend to lower altitudes during the winter.
The plumbeous water redstart has been placed on the Least Concern category of the IUCN Red List, as the population has remained stable throughout the last ten years. The size of its distribution range is over 5,100,000 square kilometres.
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