Pink Robin

Petroica rodinogaster

Small, plump Australian robin. Male very dark gray above and on throat, with lovely pink breast and belly. Tail completely dark, unlike Rose Robin. Female brown above, paler below, sometimes tinged pinkish. Breeds in very wet dense rainforest gullies in Tasmania and Victoria, sometimes in other more open habitats in winter.

Identification

The pink robin is 13.5 cm (5.5 in) long and displays sexual dimorphism – the males and females have plumage which differ markedly. The male has a dark blackish-grey head, throat, back, wings and tail, a pink breast and belly fading to white on the lower abdomen, and a white forehead. The female is dark grey-brown above, with two buff-coloured wing-bars and pinkish-tinged underparts. The bill and feet are black, and the eyes are dark brown.

Taxonomy

Described by Belgian naturalist Auguste Drapiez in 1819, the pink robin is a member of the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA-DNA hybridisation studies placed this group in a Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines, including pardalotes, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters, and crows. However, subsequent molecular research (and current consensus) places the robins as a very early offshoot of the Passerida (or "advanced" songbirds) within the songbird lineage. Testing of the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of Australian members of the genus Petroica suggests that the pink and rose robins are each other's closest relative within the genus.<p>The generic name Petroica derives from the Ancient Greek petros 'stone' and oikos 'house'. The specific name rodinogaster derives from the Ancient Greek rhodinos 'pink' and gaster 'belly'.

Scientific name
Petroica rodinogaster
Authority
(Drapiez, 1819)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Petroicidae
Genus
Petroica

Range and habitat

Its range is the forests of southern Victoria and neighbouring parts of South Australia and New South Wales, and Tasmania.

Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

North Island Brown Kiwi

North Island Brown Kiwi

Apteryx mantelli

A large, dark grayish brown kiwi with reddish brown streaking. The only kiwi found in the wild on the mainland of New Zealand’s North Island. Found in both native and exotic forest, scrub, and neighboring farmland. More often heard than seen. Male call is a series of clear rising whistles. Female call is a harsh throaty wail. Both sexes repeat their call many times. Often heard at night foraging as it sniffs loudly, tapping the ground for invertebrates. Could be confused with Weka by voice and shape; look for the kiwi’s much longer bill and lack of tail, and listen for its multisyllabic call.

Yellow-throated Bulbul

Yellow-throated Bulbul

Pycnonotus xantholaemus

Plain, pale brownish bulbul. Endemic to very specialized habitat in South India. Only found in hills with dry rocky scrub and boulders, co-occurring locally with the more widespread White-browed Bulbul throughout its range. Although both species have a yellow vent and can sound similar, Yellow-throated can be distinguished by its yellow head that contrasts with its whitish underparts. Usually occurring in pairs, it tends to rove along regular circuits, often perching on exposed rocks and boulders. Voice like White-browed’s, but more melodious and higher in pitch.

Bare-throated Whistler

Bare-throated Whistler

Pachycephala nudigula

A chunky, thick-billed songbird. Unmistakable male is olive-green above with yellow-tinged underparts, a jet black hood, and a diagnostic patch of loose bare red skin on throat. Dull female has a gray head, an olive back, a yellow underside, and a white throat. Juvenile resembles female, but has a yellow throat. Found singly in hill and montane forest in the Lesser Sundas. Female can be separated from female Rusty-breasted Whistler by the olive upperparts, solid yellow underparts, lack of any pink on the breast, and indistinct pale eye-ring. Loud, powerful song consists of strident whistled notes and includes imitations of crows, orioles, and other bird species. Highly variable sounds also include a car alarm-like “WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO.”

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