Scarlet Robin
Encyclopedia
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 split into two 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 Pacific Robin
(which is found from Norfolk Island to Samoa
).
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
is sexually dimorphic
. The males have black heads, backs and tails, black and white wings, a 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.
, where it is found near the coast from southern Queensland
to central South Australia
, Tasmania
and south west Western Australia
. The species is mostly sedentary over most of its range, but some mainland populations undergo small local movements in the autumn and winter, either to more open habitats or lower elevations.
The Scarlet Robin is most commonly found in eucalyptus
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.
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.
The Scarlet Robin is a territorial
and monogamous
species, and defends its nesting territories both from others of the same species and 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
size is between one to four eggs, with three being the average. The eggs are grey, green or pale blue, and marked with brown 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, once 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 are victims of brood parasitism
by various species of cuckoo
.
Petroicidae
The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 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...
in the passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Petroica
Petroica
Petroica is a genus of Australasian robins, named due to their red and pink markings. They are not closely related to the European Robin nor the American robin...
. The species is found on continental Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and its offshore islands, including Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The species was split into two in 1999 by Schodde
Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde, OAM is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide where he received a BSc in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSIRO Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in Papua New Guinea...
and Mason
Ian J. Mason
Ian J. Mason is an Australian ornithologist and taxonomist who is Senior Collection Manager for the Australian National Wildlife Collection. He is an authority on oology.-Publications:...
, and as the original collection by Gmelin was from Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, this retained the name of multicolor and is now known as the Pacific Robin
Pacific Robin
The Pacific Robin , is a red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica found on Norfolk Island, 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...
(which is found from Norfolk Island to Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
).
Description
Like the rest of the Australasian robins, the Scarlet Robins are stocky passerinePasserine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
s with large heads. They range in size from 12 to 13.5 cm in length and weigh between 12 and 14 g
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. The males have black heads, backs and tails, black and white wings, a 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 to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it is found near the coast from southern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to central South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and south west Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The species is mostly sedentary over most of its range, but some mainland populations undergo small local movements in the autumn and winter, either to more open habitats or lower elevations.
The Scarlet Robin is most commonly found in eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
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 insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
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
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
and monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
species, and defends its nesting territories both from others of the same species and pairs of the related Flame Robin
Flame Robin
The Flame Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the Scarlet Robin and the Red-capped Robin—it is often simply but...
. Territories are established and breeding commences before the migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
Flame Robin arrives in its range (where the two co-occur). Both the male and the female participate in selecting the nesting site
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
, but only the female constructs the nest, a task which takes four to ten days. The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
size is between one to four eggs, with three being the average. The eggs are grey, green or pale blue, and marked with brown olive-brown splotches and spots, usually concentrated around the large end. Only the females incubate
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
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, once 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 are victims of brood parasitism
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
by various species of cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
.
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