A chunky brightly colored little bird who stands out because of his stunning red suit and cap of pure, almost iridescent, white.
The White-capped redstart
Photo Courtesy of Jason Thompson/CC BY 2.0
The white-capped redstart or white-capped water redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus), is a passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher Muscicapidae family. Adult members of this species have a white crown and upper nape, while the rest of the head, back, chin, throat, and breast are glossy are black. The rest of their underparts, rump, and tail are orange to chestnut. On their tail there is black a terminal band, while the underwing-coverts are black with some orange spots.
Photo Courtesy of Cataloging Nature/CC BY 2.0
Females are very similar to the male, though the male may have a slightly larger white cap.
Juveniles resemble adult birds, however, the white cap is scaled back and their overall plumage will be slightly duller than the adults.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Prince/CC BY 2.0
White-capped water-redstart are endemic to Central Asia, in NE Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan, as well as many parts of the Indian Subcontinent. They can also be found in Southern and Eastern Tibet and several parts of China, Northern Myanmar, Northern, and Laos.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Prince/CC BY 2.0
The White-capped Water-redstart breeds along rocky rivers and streams, and waterfalls. It likes to be near or on boulders in rushing water, and moss-covered cliffs from 1800 to 5000 meters in altitude.
Photo Courtesy of Imran Shah/CC BY 2.0
These birds dine mainly on insects such as ephemeropterans, dipteran flies, craneflies, beetles, and ants. They will, however, also take spiders and mollusks.
Photo Courtesy of Imran Shah/CC BY 2.0
The breeding season for this bird is from May through to July-August when they usually nest alongside large mountain streams, about 100 – 200 meters above the water. The nest is built in a hole, either in rock, tree, under a stone, or in tree roots. Fairly deep the nest is filled with grass, rootlets, and moss, all bound together with mud, usually in rocky meadows far from running water. Up to three to five eggs are laid within, and the chicks are fed by both parents after they hatch.
Photo Courtesy of Imran Shah/CC BY 2.0
Though uncommon throughout its range, this bird’s population is not currently considered to be under threat.
Photo Courtesy of Imran Shah/CC BY 2.0
Watch this cute little bird right here in the video below:
