The lady in slate blue: A winter encounter with the plumbeous redstart at Madhabkunda
It is in this cold, luminous world that I met a bird that textbooks describe plainly, but nature reveals poetically: the female Nilchey Lal-Girdi, Plumbeous Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
On winter mornings at Madhabkunda Waterfall, light behaves strangely. The sun rises, yet its warmth hesitates—blocked on one side by the massive stone walls of the gorge and on the other by a thick, slow-moving blanket of fog.
Temperatures often sink to 10–12°C, sometimes lower. Water roars down the cliff, breaks into spray, and gathers again as a restless hill stream—the chhara—that snakes through stones, driftwood, and moss-covered boulders.
It is in this cold, luminous world that I met a bird that textbooks describe plainly, but nature reveals poetically: the female Nilchey Lal-Girdi, Plumbeous Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus).
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A bird the books underestimate
Ornithological descriptions of the female Plumbeous Redstart are precise but restrained. She is said to be pale grey to slaty-grey above, whitish-grey below, with dense scaly or mottled barring. Her tail is black with white outer feathers, the wings grey with two white-spotted wing bars, and the rump conspicuously white. Compared to the male—entirely slate-blue, almost metallic, with a fiery reddish tail—she is often portrayed as subdued, even plain.
But the bird at Madhabkunda defied that modest portrayal.
She was not dull grey. In the cold, diffused light of the gorge, her plumage shimmered in a fantastically soft sky-blue hue, overlaid with delicate, wavy barring that seemed etched rather than painted. It was as if the slate had been polished by mist and water, transformed into something luminous.
This difference may be explained by a combination of factors—fresh winter plumage, moisture in the air, angle of light, and perhaps even subtle individual variation. Yet for anyone watching closely, it was clear: this "plain" female was a creature of exceptional beauty.
The female Plumbeous Redstart in this image shows a quietly intricate beauty—one that reveals itself only with close, patient observation.
Colouration
Her overall colour is a soft slate-grey to bluish ash, cooler and more muted than the male's darker leaden tone. The head and mantle carry a cold steel-grey wash, while the face appears slightly paler, giving her a gentle, contemplative expression. The eye stands out—large, glossy, and jet black, lending depth and alertness to an otherwise understated palette.
Across the breast, flanks, and belly, the grey breaks into fine, wavy vermiculations—tiny crescent-shaped markings that look like ripples on still water. These patterns are not sharply defined but softly blended, creating a scaly or frosted texture, especially noticeable on the lower breast and abdomen. This waviness provides excellent camouflage against wet rocks, lichen, and shaded stream banks.
The wings are darker—smoky charcoal to blackish-grey—with subtle feather edging that adds structure without contrast. Though not visible here, the tail (when flicked) would flash a tint of rufous.
A sharply defined, triangular (pyramidal) white rump patch that extends onto the upper tail-coverts, becoming more prominent when the tail is fanned.
Occasionally Madhabkunda's Blue beauty tucks bills amongst the puffed-up feather for warmth and heat loss from naked skin over the bills and nostrills.
Puffed-up Body
Her puffed-up appearance is particularly striking. The feathers are loosened and fluffed, giving her a rounded, almost spherical silhouette. This serves multiple purposes:
- Thermal insulation: Common in cool, damp hill-stream environments, especially during winter mornings.
- Relaxed posture: Suggests she is at ease, not alarmed—often seen when resting between foraging bouts.
- Enhanced texture: The puffing accentuates the wavy feather patterns, making the body look plush and velvety.
Perched quietly with feathers fluffed, she resembles a small slate-grey moss ball clinging to a branch, perfectly at home in the misty, shaded world of mountain streams.
Altogether, her subdued colours, rippled plumage, and rounded form make her a master of subtle elegance and concealment—a fitting embodiment of the calm, persistent life of flowing water.
A globe of feathers in the cold
As the temperature dipped and sunlight failed to penetrate the gorge, the Plumbeous Redstart did something instantly familiar to anyone who has grown up around rivers and fish.
She fluffed her feathers dramatically, trapping warm air close to her body and transforming herself into a compact, rounded globe. The sight immediately recalled a childhood memory—the Potka Machh, the globe fish or pufferfish we once caught in push nets or with hook and line. Held briefly by the base of its tail, it would vibrate and then suddenly puff itself into a ball, producing that unforgettable kot-kot sound by rubbing its paired teeth, perhaps in anger or frustration.
The bird, of course, made no sound. Yet the posture—the spherical form, the deliberate inflation against the cold—was strikingly similar. This was thermoregulation in action: a small migrant's elegant solution to a Himalayan winter spent far from home, amid damp rocks and rushing water.
The female Plumbeous Redstart in this image reveals a quietly intricate beauty—one that emerges only through close, patient observation. Her loosened feathers give her a soft, almost perfectly rounded silhouette, suggesting both warmth and calm. Such puffing is common in cold, hill-stream environments, particularly during winter mornings, and often indicates a relaxed, unalarmed state between foraging bouts. At the same time, the fluffed plumage accentuates the fine, wavy patterns of her feathers, lending her body a plush, velvety texture.
Perched quietly, she resembles a small slate-grey moss ball clinging to a branch, perfectly at home in the misty, shaded world of mountain streams. Altogether, her subdued colours, rippled plumage, and rounded form make her a master of subtle elegance and concealment—a fitting embodiment of the calm, persistent life of flowing water.
When she resumed feeding, the Plumbeous Redstart revealed why redstarts are among the most accomplished insect hunters of fast-flowing streams.
She hopped lightly across stones and driftwood, sometimes making short, darting flights before landing just a little distance away. Each landing was followed by a rhythmic display: the tail would spread and close repeatedly, flashing black and white like a handkerchief flicked in the air. This tail-fanning is not mere ornament—it flushes insects into movement, making them easier to detect and catch.
Her prey consisted mainly of small insects and worms, roughly a centimetre in length, picked deftly from wet stones and debris. Occasionally, she launched herself after a flying insect, catching it mid-air with the precision of a flycatcher—an ancestral trait shared across the genus Phoenicurus.
Two redstarts, one stream, no conflict
Madhabkunda that winter morning was strangely quiet. Apart from the roar of water, only two birds were visible: the female Plumbeous Redstart and another rare and spectacular migrant—the White-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus), locally known as Sada-tupi Lalgirdi.
Sada-tupi Lalgirdi, White-capped Redstart in the
Both species favour hill streams, rocky waterfalls, and fast-flowing water. Both are winter visitors to Bangladesh. And yet, despite being within a metre of each other at times, there was no aggression, no chasing, no competition.
This peaceful coexistence reflects ecological niche separation. Though similar in appearance and habitat preference, the two species subtly differ in feeding microhabitats, prey selection, and foraging height. Nature, ever efficient, avoids unnecessary conflict.
Interestingly, the female Plumbeous Redstart proved the more adventurous of the two. While the White-capped Redstart stayed closer to the waterfall, she ventured at least 500 metres downstream along the chhara, exploring quieter stretches and shaded pools.
She also displayed a quiet tolerance of humans. Standing still, especially photographers, were often rewarded as she approached surprisingly close—curious, confident, and unafraid, provided silence was maintained.
Global distribution: From high Asia to tropical streams
The Plumbeous Redstart is a characteristic bird of Asia's major mountain systems, occupying cold, fast-flowing streams across a broad elevational range.
Breeding Range
During the breeding season, the species occurs primarily at high elevations across:
- Central Asia
- The Himalayan region
- The Tibetan Plateau
- Western China
- Northern parts of South and Southeast Asia, where suitable montane habitats persist
During the breeding season, it inhabits cold, fast-flowing mountain streams, often at elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 metres.
Wintering range
With the onset of winter in its high-altitude breeding grounds, the Plumbeous Redstart descends to lower elevations and disperses southward across parts of South and Southeast Asia. Its wintering range includes northern and northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, southern China, and northern Thailand. In Bangladesh, the species occurs very locally and in extremely low numbers, with only a handful of confirmed records to date.
Bangladesh distribution: A narrow ribbon of habitat
In Bangladesh, the Plumbeous Redstart is a rare and localized winter migrant.
Where it occurs
In Bangladesh, the Plumbeous Redstart is a rare and localized winter visitor.
It has been recorded primarily in the Sylhet Hill Tracts, especially around rocky, fast-flowing streams such as Madhabkunda Waterfall and the chharas crisscrossing forested areas of the Lawachara National Park. A separate record exists from Thakurgaon, where a female was observed along a riverbank in the northern plains (Source-social media posts).
The species is also expected to occur in suitable habitats within the Chattogram Hill Tracts, particularly along undisturbed hill streams, although confirmed records from this region are still lacking.
At present, its wintering range in Bangladesh remains poorly defined. To date, only two female individuals have been documented, from two widely separated localities divided by several hundred kilometres of largely unsuitable terrain, suggesting either extreme rarity, under-recording, or highly localized wintering behaviour.
Conservation status: Globally safe, locally fragile
- Global Status (IUCN) also that in Bnagladesh: Least Concern.
- Bangladesh Status: Rare winter visitor, habitat-sensitive
Globally, the species is not considered threatened due to its wide range. However, this classification masks local realities. In Bangladesh, suitable habitats are extremely limited and shrinking.
Threats include:
- Hill stream modification
- Unregulated tourism at waterfalls
- Pollution
- Stone and sand extraction
- Deforestation upstream
A single degraded stream can mean the disappearance of the species from an entire district.
Why this bird matters
The Plumbeous Redstart is not just a pretty winter visitor. It is:
- A bio-indicator of clean hill streams
- A natural controller of aquatic and semi-aquatic insects
- A reminder that Bangladesh's biodiversity is not confined to forests and wetlands alone
Its presence at Madhabkunda tells us that, for now, the stream still breathes.
A quiet appeal
The female Plumbeous Redstart does not announce her arrival. She does not flock, call loudly, or display bright colours meant for admiration. She survives by subtlety—by blending with stone, mist, and water.
Yet her presence enriches the winter landscape immeasurably.
Protecting birds like her does not require grand reserves or expensive interventions. It requires something simpler: respect for hill streams, restraint in tourism, and an understanding that even the smallest, quietest migrants belong here.
On a cold morning at Madhabkunda, wrapped in fog and flowing water, a little bird in slate-blue reminded me that beauty often arrives softly—and leaves silently, if we fail to notice.
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 as mentioned in the Wikipedia
