About Phoenicurus fuliginosus Vigors, 1831
The plumbeous water redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus Vigors, 1831) has an average total length of 14 centimeters (5.5 in). Adult males have an average weight of 22 grams (0.78 oz), while adult females average 18.8 grams (0.66 oz). Males have slate blue plumage and a rusty red tail. Females are pale grey with a white rump. This species occurs across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It prefers shaded boulder-strewn streams, nullahs, rivers, and vegetation along riverbanks. It particularly favors streams with large populations of insects like mayflies. It typically lives at relatively high elevations; populations in the Himalayas are found between 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and 4,100 metres (13,500 ft), and it descends to lower altitudes during the winter. The plumbeous water redstart is categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Its population has stayed stable over the last ten years, and its total distribution range covers more than 5,100,000 square kilometres (2,000,000 sq mi).
