Petroica multicolor
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The Norfolk robin (''Petroica multicolor''), also known as the Norfolk Island scarlet robin or Norfolk Island robin, is a small bird in the
Australasian robin The bird Family (biology), 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 ...
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Petroicidae. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the
Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, between Australia and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.


Taxonomy

The robin was considered
conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...
with the
scarlet robin The scarlet robin (''Petroica boodang'') 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 originall ...
(''Petroica boodang'') of Australia, but it was separated in 1999, with the Norfolk Island form as part of the Pacific robin assemblage.Schodde & Mason, p.388. It was determined to be a distinct species in 2015.


Description

The Norfolk robin is similar to the Pacific robin, as well as to the scarlet robin. The adult male is distinctive, having upperparts that are mainly black with a large white spot on the forehead, white bars on the wings, and vestigial white tips to the tail. Its breast and upper belly are bright red with the lower belly white. The female is much duller, mainly brown with a pinkish breast. Immature individuals are similar to females. It is the largest of the Pacific robin group, though slightly smaller than the scarlet robin.


Distribution and habitat

The robin is restricted to Norfolk Island, where it is largely confined to the Mt Pitt section of the Norfolk Island National Park and remnant patches of forest nearby. It mainly inhabits the native subtropical rainforest, with lower densities in other wooded habitats. It prefers areas with a dense understorey and an open ground layer with deep, moist litter for foraging in.


Biology

The robin feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates.


Status and conservation

After a period of decline to the 1980s, when the birds disappeared from many parts of the island, the population of the Norfolk robin apparently stabilised and was estimated at 400-500 pairs in 1988 with little change in 1997. Ongoing threats include
habitat degradation Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
, and predation by black rats and
feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
s. It is considered
Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
because of the restricted size of the population and the small area of its distribution. Ongoing conservation management actions include control of rats and feral cats to minimise predation, as well as control of invasive weeds to minimise habitat degradation. It is proposed to reintroduce the Norfolk robin to nearby
Phillip Island Phillip Island ( Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explore ...
, when the regenerating habitat there is suitable.Commonwealth of Australia, p.6.


References

* Commonwealth of Australia. (2005). National Recovery Plan for the Norfolk Island Scarlet Robin, ''Petroica multicolor multicolor'', and the Norfolk Island Golden Whistler ''Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta''. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra.

* Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). ''The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000''. Environment Australia: Canberra.

* Higgins, P.J.; & Peter, J.M. (eds). (2003). ''Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes''. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. * Richard Schodde, Schodde, R.; & Mason, I.J. (1999). ''The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines''. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.


External links


Australian Government, Dept of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: ''Petroica multicolor multicolor''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q948764 Birds of Norfolk Island Petroica Birds described in 1789 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin