Norfolk robin

Norfolk robin
On Norfolk Island, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Petroicidae
Genus: Petroica
Species: P. multicolor
Binomial name
Petroica multicolor
Gmelin, 1789
Synonyms
  • Muscicapa multicolor

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 family, Petroicidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand.

Taxonomy

The robin was considered conspecific with the scarlet robin (Petroica boodang) of Australia, but it was separated in 1999, with the Norfolk Island form part of the Pacific robin assemblage.[1] 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, the upperparts being 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 in colouration, being mainly brown with a pinkish breast. Immatures are similar to females. It is the largest of the Pacific robin subspecies, though slightly smaller than the Scarlet Robin.[1]

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.[2]

Behaviour

Feeding

The robin feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates.[3]

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 Pacific robin apparently stabilised and was estimated at 400-500 pairs in 1988 with little change in 1997. Ongoing threats include habitat degradation and predation by black rats and feral cats. It is considered Vulnerable because of the restricted size of the population and area of its distribution.[4] 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 robin to nearby Phillip Island when the regenerating habitat there is suitable.[5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Schodde & Mason, p.388.
  2. Higgins & Peter, pp.607-608.
  3. Higgins & Peter, p.613.
  4. Garnett & Crowley, pp.515 and 633.
  5. Commonwealth of Australia, p.6.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, December 17, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.