Petroica | |
---|---|
North Island robin (Petroica longipes) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Infraorder: | Passerides |
Family: | Petroicidae |
Genus: | Petroica Swainson, 1829 |
Type species | |
Muscicapa multicolor [1] Gmelin, 1789 | |
Species | |
14; see text |
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.
The genus was introduced by the English naturalist, William John Swainson, in 1829, with the Norfolk robin (Petroica multicolor) as the type species. [2] [3] The generic name combines the Ancient Greek petro- "rock" with oikos "home". [4]
Many species in Australia have a red breast and are known colloquially as "red robins" as distinct from the "yellow robins" of the genus Eopsaltria . [5]
The genus contains the following 14 species: [6]
Male | Female | Common name | Scientific Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rose robin | Petroica rosea | Australia. | ||
Pink robin | Petroica rodinogaster | Tasmania, southern Australia | ||
Snow Mountains robin | Petroica archboldi | West Papua, Indonesia. | ||
Mountain robin | Petroica bivittata | New Guinea Highlands | ||
Flame robin | Petroica phoenicea | south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania | ||
Solomons robin | Petroica polymorpha | Solomon Islands. | ||
Pacific robin | Petroica pusilla | Melanesia and Polynesia. | ||
Norfolk robin | Petroica multicolor | Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand | ||
Scarlet robin | Petroica boodang | Australia, including Tasmania. | ||
Red-capped robin | Petroica goodenovii | Australia. | ||
Tomtit | Petroica macrocephala | New Zealand | ||
North Island robin | Petroica longipes | North Island of New Zealand. | ||
South Island robin | Petroica australis | New Zealand | ||
Black robin | Petroica traversi | the Chatham Islands | ||
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 scarlet robin is a common red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica. The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania. The species was originally split in 1999 by Schodde and Mason, and as the original collection by Gmelin was from Norfolk Island, this retained the name of multicolor, and is now known as the Norfolk robin.
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.
Lewinia is a genus of birds in the family Rallidae.
Amalocichla is a genus of bird in the family Petroicidae that are found in New Guinea.
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.
Melanodryas is a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae.
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.
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.
Lessonia is a genus of South American birds in the tyrant flycatcher family, found near freshwater lakes and saline marshes.
The Pacific robin, is a red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica found in Melanesia and Polynesia. It is similar in plumage to the scarlet robin of Australia, and until recently the two were considered conspecific until split in 1999 by Schodde and Mason. Thirteen subspecies of Pacific robin are currently recognised, and these subspecies display considerable variation in plumage, foraging preferences, and habitat. The Norfolk robin was previously considered a subspecies of the Pacific robin, but is now considered a distinct species.
The Norfolk robin, also known as the Norfolk Island scarlet robin or Norfolk Island robin, is a small bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.