Melanodryas | |
---|---|
Hooded robin (Melanodryas cucullata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Infraorder: | Passerides |
Family: | Petroicidae |
Genus: | Melanodryas Gould, 1865 |
Type species | |
Muscicapa cucullata [1] Latham, 1801 | |
Species | |
2; see text |
Melanodryas is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae.
The genus was introduced by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1865 with the hooded robin (Melanodryas cucullata) as the type species. [2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek melanos "black" with dryad "tree-nymph". [3]
The genus contains two species: [4]
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Melanodryas cucullata | Hooded robin | Australia | |
Melanodryas vittata | Dusky robin | Tasmania | |
The bird family Petroicidae includes 51 species in 19 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the family species are known variously as robins, scrub-robins and flyrobins. They are only distantly related to the European robin of Europe, north Africa and western Asia, a member of family Muscicapidae.
The pink cockatoo, also known as Major Mitchell's cockatoo or Leadbeater's cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo that inhabits arid and semi-arid inland areas across Australia, with the exception of the north east.
Petroica is a genus of Australasian robins, named for their red and pink markings. They are not closely related to the European robins nor the American robins.
Eopsaltria is a genus of small forest passerines known in Australia as the yellow robins. They belong to the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek for "dawn singer/song" because of their dawn chorus. They are inquisitive and bold birds, and have been reported perching on the shoulders or boots of people in the bush. Open eucalyptus woodlands are their preferred habitat. The ornithologist John Gould likened the behaviour and mannerisms of the eastern and western yellow robin to those of the European robin. The name "yellow robin" itself was applied to the eastern yellow robin by the early settlers of New South Wales.
Amalocichla is a genus of bird in the family Petroicidae that are found in New Guinea.
The southern scrub robin is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae. It is endemic to Australia, where it occurs in mallee and heathland in the semi-arid southern parts of the continent, extending from Wyperfeld National Park in Victoria in the east through South Australia to the west coast between Kalbarri and the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park.
Drymodes is a genus of bird in the family Petroicidae. It was traditionally held to have two species, but molecular and behavioural differences led to the split of the New Guinea populations from the northern scrub robin. The paper by Les Christidis and colleagues was published in 2011 and the IOC adopted the split in 2015:
The white-breasted robin is a passerine bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae and the yellow robin genus Eopsaltria. Occasionally it is placed in the genus Quoyornis Mathews, 1912. It is endemic to southwestern Australia. Unlike many other Australian robins, it lacks bright colours in its plumage, being a predominantly greyish bird with white underparts. Like other closely related Australasian robins, it is a cooperative breeder. It is sedentary, with pairs or small groups maintaining territories.
The western yellow robin is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family, Petroicidae, native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1838, the western yellow robin and its Australian relatives are not closely related to either the European or American robins, but they appear to be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. Ranging between 13.5 and 15.5 cm long, it has grey upperparts, and a grey breast and head, broken by whitish streaks near the bill and below the eye, with a conspicuous yellow belly. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognized: subspecies griseogularis, which has a yellow rump, and subspecies rosinae with an olive-green rump.
The mangrove robin is a passerine bird in the family Petroicidae. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea, and northern Australia. The bird's common name refers to its natural habitat. They live in mangrove forests and seldom fly outside these biomes.
The hooded robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic; the male bears a distinctive black-and-white plumage, while the female is a nondescript grey-brown.
Microeca is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. The species in this genus are commonly known as flyrobins.
The torrent flyrobin is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. It is also known as the torrent robin.
Pachycephalopsis is a genus of birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae that are found in New Guinea.
Peneothello is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae.
The black-throated robin is a species of passerine bird in the Australisian robin family Petroicidae. It is found on the island of New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests at 1,150–2,750 metres above sea-level.
Poecilodryas is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae.
The banded yellow robin or olive-yellow robin is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae that is found in New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus Gennaeodryas. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. It has a high mortality rate due to its inability to traverse across a matrix.
Tregellasia is a genus of birds in the family Petroicidae that are found in Australia and New Guinea.
Ianthocincla is a genus of passerine birds in the family Leiothrichidae.