The scarlet robin (''Petroica boodang'') is a common red-breasted
Australasian robin in the
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial no ...
''
Petroica''. The species is found on continental
Australia and its offshore islands, including
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. The species was originally split in 1999 by
Schodde and
Mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
,
and as the original collection by Gmelin was from
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together wi ...
, this retained the name of ''multicolor'', and is now known as the
Norfolk robin.
Taxonomy
There are three recognised subspecies of ''Petroica boodang'': the nominate subspecies ''P.b.boodang'' is found in mainland southeastern Australia; ''P.b.leggii'' is found in Tasmania and Flinders Island in the Bass Strait; and ''P.b.campbelli'' occurs in southwestern Western Australia.
Description
Like the rest of the Australasian robins, the scarlet robins are stocky
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
s with large heads. They range in size from 12 to 13.5 cm in length and weigh between 12 and 14
g. The
plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
is
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
. The males have black heads, backs and tails, black and white wings, a
scarlet red breast, and white belly, forehead and rump. The female matches the male in pattern, but is duller, with brown plumage instead of black, a much more washed-out red on the breast, and a buff belly. Juvenile birds resemble the female without the reddish wash on the breast.
Distribution, movements and habitat
The scarlet robin 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
Australia, where it is found near the coast from southern
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
to central
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
and southwest
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
. The species is mostly sedentary over its range, but some mainland populations undergo small local movements in the autumn and winter, either to more open habitats or to lower elevations.
[Boles, W (2007) "Family Petroicidae (Australasian Robins)" ''in'' del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. and Christie D. (editors). (2007). '']Handbook of the Birds of the World
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...
. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees''. Lynx Editions. pp. 482–483
The scarlet robin is most commonly found in
eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including ''Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
woodland and forest, from sea level to 1000 m, particularly the more open habitats with grassy and shrubby understories. During the winter, more open environments, including urban habitats, are frequented.
Behaviour
The scarlet robin feeds on arthropods, such as
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, Thorax (ins ...
s and spiders.
It adjusts its foraging behaviour seasonally, feeding mostly on the ground during the winter, but during the summer and spring prey is more commonly snatched from bark and foliage.
Breeding biology
The scarlet robin is a
territorial
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
and
monogamous
Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., pol ...
species, and defends its nesting territories both from others of the same species and from pairs of the related
flame robin.
Territories are established and breeding commences before the
migratory flame robin arrives in its range (where the two co-occur).
Both the male and the female participate in selecting the
nesting site, but only the female constructs the nest, a task which takes four to ten days.
The
clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
size is between one and four eggs, with three being the average. The eggs are grey, green or pale blue, and marked with brown to olive-brown splotches and spots, usually concentrated around the large end. Only the females
incubate the eggs, and the males feed the females on the nest.
The chicks hatch after 14 to 18 days. At first, they are brooded by the female and fed by the male; when brooding ends, they are fed by both parents.
Nesting success is generally low, between 8 and 40%. Scarlet robin nests are raided by snakes, and they are victims of
brood parasitism
Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its ...
by various species of
cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes sep ...
.
Gallery
file:Female scarlet robin.jpg, female
Victoria, Australia
File:Petroica boodang female - Knocklofty.jpg, female
Hobart, Tasmania
File:Petroica boodang Meehan Range 1 crop.jpg, male
Meehan Range, Tasmania
File:Scarlet Robin- Mortimer Bay.jpg, male
Mortimer Bay, Tasmania
See also
*
List of Australasian birds
*
List of Western Australian birds
References
External links
Birds of Canberra Gardens website's Scarlet Robin page canberrabirds.org.au
Scarlet Robin videos on the Internet Bird Collection lynxeds.com
Birds in Backyards' Scarlet Robin page birdsinbackyards.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1589606
scarlet robin
scarlet robin
Birds of New South Wales
Birds of South Australia
Birds of Tasmania
Birds of Victoria (Australia)
Birds of Western Australia
Endemic birds of Australia
scarlet robin
Taxa named by René Lesson