Hooded robin

Melanodryas cucullata

Photo by David Cook (Flickr)

Common name:
hooded robin (en); rouxinol-de-capuz (pt); miro à capuchon (fr); petroica encapuchada (es); schwarzkopfschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Petroicidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found throughout the Australian mainland.

Size:
These birds are 15-17,5 cm long and have a wingspan of 24-29 cm. They weigh 21-28 g.

Habitat:
The hooded robin is found in open, dry savannas, and in dry scrublands with scattered trees, particularly in areas dominated by Eucalyptus and Acacia.

Diet:
They mainly hunt insects ad other small arthropods by sallying out from a perch, also taking seeds.

Breeding:
Hooded robins breed in July-January. They are monogamous and the nest is an open cup made of leaves and bark bound together with spider webs. The nest is usually placed
in a crevice, hollow or hole in a tree or stump. The female lays 1-3 pale olive or bluish-green eggs with darker spots and blotches. She incubates the eggs alone for 14-15 days. The chicks fledge 13 days after hatching. Each pair usually raises 2 broods per season, but can lay up to 5 replacement clutches.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally fairly common. Still, the population is estimated to be in decline owing to habitat loss.

White-breasted robin

Eopsaltria georgiana

Photo by Eddy Lee (Flickr)

Common name:

white-breasted robin (en); rouxinol-de-peito-branco (pt); miro à poitrine blanche (fr); petroica pechiblanca (es); weißbrustschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Petroicidae

Range:

This species is only found in the south-western tip of Western Australia, from Geraldton to Esperance.

Size:

These birds are 14,5-17 cm long.

Habitat:

The white-breasted robin is mostly found in temperate forests and dry scrublands, also using rivers and streams.

Diet:

They feed on insects and other small invertebrates.

Breeding:

White-breasted robins breed in July-December. They breed cooperatively, with one or several helpers assisting the breeding pair. The nest is a neat cup made of dry grass, bark and spider webs, generally located in a fork in a tree among dense scrubs near a watercourse. The female lays 2 pale olive to green-blue eggs with darker blotches, which are incubated by the female for 16-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and helpers and fledge 13-14 days after hatching. Each pair raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a relatively large breeding range and is reported to be locally quite common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Tomtit

Petroica macrocephala

Photo by Glenda Rees (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
tomtit (en); rouxinol-maori (pt); miro mésange (fr); petroica carbonera (es); Maorischnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Petroicidae

Range:
This species is endemic to New Zealand, being found in both the North and South islands, as well as several of the outlying island, including the Chatham islands and the Aukland islands and the Snares.

Size:
These birds are 13 cm long and weigh 11-20 g.

Habitat:
The tomtit is mostly found in temperate forests,but also in grasslands, arable land, plantations and within urban areas.

Diet:
They are mostly insectivorous, taking beetles, caterpillars, moths, wetas, flies, but also spiders, earthworms and some fruits, especially during autumn and winter.

Breeding:
Tomtits breed in September-January. The female builds the nest alone, consisting of a cup made of twigs, bark, moss and sometimes also dry leaves, lichens and spider webs. The nest is lined with moss and feathers and placed in a vine tangle, hollow branch, cavity in a trunk or stump or less often among scrubs, 0,5-8 m above the ground. They also use nest boxes. The female lays 2-4 white eggs with brown and grey spots and blotches, which she incubates alone for 17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 17-21 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for another 3-4 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to predation pressure from introduced species

Scarlet robin

Petroica multicolor

Photo by Kevin Agar (Flickr)

Common name:
scarlet robin (en); rouxinol-escarlate (pt); miro écarlate (fr); petroica escarlata (es); Australienscharlachschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Petroicidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern and south-western Australia, in Tasmania and Norfolk island, and in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon islands, Vanuatu and the Bougainville islands of Papua-New Guinea.

Size:
These birds are 12-13,5 cm long and weigh 12-14 g.

Habitat:
The scarlet robin is mostly found in dry forests and savannas, namely Eucalyptus stands, but also in moist tropical forests, rural areas, plantations and within urban areas.

Diet:
They mainly feed on insects and other arthropods, namely Coleoptera, Collembola, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Pseudoscorpionida and Araneae.

Breeding:
Scarlet robins breed in August-March. The female builds the nest alone, a neat cup made of spider webs, fine bark, moss and grass, lined with fine bark, fur, feathers and hairs. It is placed in a tree or sometimes in a scrub, 2-14 m above the ground. The female lays 1-4 pale blue, green or grey eggs with olive-brown splotches, which are incubated for 15-18 days. The chicks fledge 15-17 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be locally fairly common. The population is estimated to be in decline following a possible range contraction owing to habitat loss, as well as predation pressure from introduced species such as cats and black rats Rattus rattus.

Red-capped robin

Petroica goodenovii

(Photo from Bird Watching Magazine)

Common name:
red-capped robin (en); rouxinol-de-testa-vermelha (pt); miro à front rouge (fr); petroica frentirroja (es); rotstirnschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Petroicidae


Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found throughout most of the country, with the exception of Tasmania and the northernmost areas of Queensland, of the Northern Territories and of Western Australia.


Size:
The red-capped robin is 10,5-12,5 cm long and has a wingspan of 15-19,5 cm. They weigh 7-9 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in most inland habitats that have tall trees or scrubs, such as Eucalyptus, Acacia or cypress pine woodlands, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. They can also be found in coastal areas, orchards and sometimes gardens.


Diet:
They hunt various arthropods, either on the ground or in low scrubs. They are known to take grasshoppers, butterflies and moths, caterpillars, dragonflies, damselflies, mantids, antlions, bugs, beetles, earwigs, flies and spiders.


Breeding:
Red-capped robins breed in June-January. The female builds the nest, an open cup made of bark, grass, and rootlets, bound together with spider web, lined with soft materials and often camoflaged with lichen, bark and mosses. The nest is placed on a fork in a tree. The female lays 2-3 white eggs with brown blotches, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-15 days after hatching. Each pair may raise 1-3 broods per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be frequently quite common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Jacky winter

Microeca fascinans

Photo by Deane Lewis (Australian Birds, Wildlife and Nature)

Common name:

Jacky winter (en); rouxinol-encantador (pt); miro enchanteur (fr); petroica fascinante (es); weißschwanzschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Petroicidae

Range:

This species is found throughout mainland Australia and in south-eastern New Guinea.

Size:

The Jacky winter is 12-14 cm long and weighs 15 g.

Habitat:

These birds generally prefer open woodland with an open shrub layer and a lot of bare ground. They also found in lightly timbered farmland and occasionally in gardens.

Diet:

They usually sally for flying insects from a perch, but will also take insect larvae, beetles, and worms from the ground.

Breeding:

Jacky winters breed in August-January. They build a very small cup nest made from grass and strips of bark, bound with spiders web on the fork of a dead branch. There the female lays 2-3 pale blue eggs, which she incubates alone for 16-17 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14-17 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be normally scarce or absent from settled areas but locally quite common elsewhere. The population is estimated to be declining following declines owing to agricultural and urban development.

Rose robin

Petroica rosea

Common name:

rose robin (en); rouxinol-rosado (pt); miro rosé (fr); petroica rosada (es); rosenschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Petroicidae

Range:

The rose robin is endemic to Australia, being found in the south-easternmost areas of the country, along the coast and Great Dividing Range from south-east Queensland down to Victoria.

Size:

These birds are 11-13 cm long and weigh 8 g.

Habitat:

Rose robins are found in wet sclerophyll forests and rainforests during spring and summer, moving into drier, more open habitats during autumn and winter. They may sometimes occur in farmland and town gardens when migrating.

Diet:

They feed on insects and other small invertebrates which they mostly take from the upper to mid-canopy, but they will also feed from the ground.

Breeding:

Rose robins breed in September-January. The nest is a neat, deep cup, placed towards the outer end of a branch or in a tree fork, and made of green moss, with some twigs and bark, lined with plant down or fur and camouflaged with lichen. The female lays 2-3 pale green or blue-grey eggs marked with brownish-purple spots, which she incubates alone for 16 days. Both parents feed the chicks and each pair may produce up to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is reported to be locally quite common. The population is estimated to be in decline following local extinctions owing to habitat loss, but it is not considered threatened at present.