''Eopsaltria'' is a genus of small forest
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 generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
s known in Australia as the yellow robins. They belong to the Australasian robin family
Petroicidae. The name is derived from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), 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
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...
woodlands are their preferred habitat.
The ornithologist
John Gould
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...
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.
Taxonomy and systematics
The ornithologist
William Swainson
William Swainson Fellow of the Linnean Society, FLS, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, Malacology, malacologist, Conchology, conchologist, entomologist and artist.
Life
Swains ...
named the genus ''Eopsaltria'' in 1832, placing into it the bird that was then known as the yellow-breasted thrush (''Pachycephala australis''). Two species are currently classified within the genus: the
eastern and
western yellow robins, which have been alternately classified as a single species by Julian Ford since 1979 on account of similarities in their calls and behaviour.
The eastern yellow robin itself was historically split into two species, the northern populations were given the name northern yellow robin (''E. chrysorrhoa'') while the remaining groups were known as the southern yellow robin.
Another species, the
mangrove robin ''Peneoenanthe pulverulenta'' was often included in this genus. Although its plumage resembled that of the white-breasted robin, DNA analysis revealed it should be classified as a member of the New Guinea genus ''
Peneothello''.
[
Previously the two members of the genus '' Tregellasia'' were included in this genus; the pale-yellow robin (''Tregellasia capito'') and white-faced robin (''T. leucops''). The yellow-bellied flyrobin (''Microeca flaviventris'') of New Caledonia was previously classified in this genus as it had similar plumage, but a genetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA has placed it in the genus '' Microeca''. Its nest and eggs resemble those of members of ''Microeca'' rather than ''Eopsaltria''. The same study placed the white-breasted robin as sister taxon to the two ''Tregellasia'' robins and proposed the genus be sunk once again into ''Eopsaltria''.]
Extant species
The genus contains the following two species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
:
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Eopsaltria'':
* Grey whistler (sudestensis) (as ''Eopsaltria sudestensis'')
* Melanesian whistler (cucullata) (as ''Eopsaltria cucullata'')
* Tongan whistler (as ''Eopsaltria melanops'')
* Samoan whistler (as ''Eopsaltria flavifrons'')
* White-breasted robin (as ''Eopsaltria georgiana'')
References
Further reading
* Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & 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. ...
''. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q640140
Petroicidae
Bird genera
Endemic birds of Australia
Taxa named by William Swainson