- Rhyacornis fuliginosus
Identification
5.5" (14 cm.) Strong sexual dimorphism. Male: tail, rump, and vent are reddish-rufous, the remainder of the plumage a rich, dark slate-blue. Female: bases of outer tail feathers, rump, and vent white, remainder of tail black; grey above, pale eye-ring; wings black with white tips; throat, breast, and belly plumage white with dark feather edges, giving a strongly scaled appearance. Both sexes have black bills, feet brown.
Usually abundant in suitable habitat. Both sexes flirt the tail often as they move from rock to rock in alpine streams, and territorial displays are frequent. They often hawk small insects from low perches on stones or shrubs. Often found with dippers or White-capped Water-Redstart.
Male has a solid rufous tail, lacking the black central tail feathers of other redstart species. Female somewhat resembles Little Forktail, but the latter has a white crown and a white wing-band extending to the back.
Distribution
Resident through the Himalayas from Pakistan to N Indochina, Hainan Island and Taiwan, northward through all of E and C China as far as Hebei Province and Beijing.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Almost exclusively found on fast-flowing alpine streams; an altitudinal migrant from 1000-4300 m. Perches on shrubs near stream, or on boulders in the water.
Behaviour
Song a rapid metallic streee-treee-tree-treeeh, call note a sharp ziet, ziet.
