Rose Robin
Petroica rosea· 鸲鹟科(6 photos)
Rose Robin
11-12.5 cm. Most arboreal red robin: small, longish tailed, flycatcher-like. Male: upperparts/throat deep grey; breast rose-red; underparts white; outer tail feathers mainly white. Young males have faint buff-white wingbar. Female: grey-brown above with whitish broken-arrow wingmark; grey-white below, with grey breast, some washed rose; longish tail dark brown, edged white. Immature: like female; without pink breast. Singles, pairs: graceful, active; often high in forest canopy. Droops wings, cocks tail; takes insects from leaves; sallies in tumbling pursuit.
- Similar Species
- Pink Robin, 'brown birds': rich olive-brown with tan broken-arrow wingmark; tail shorter, no white.
- Voice
- male: pretty, insect-like, 'dick, dick; dick-didit, dzeer-dzeer', last notes stronger, rising. Contact note: short, scratchy 'skay'; sharp 'tick!'
- Habitat
- fern tree, beech, other dense, moist gullies; wetter eucalypt forests/rainforests, from near sea level in NSW and Vic. to 1000 m. In Q, breeds mostly in mountain rainforests above 500 m. Wide autumn-winter dispersal to lowland woodlands, sub-inland, coastal scrubs, riverside vegetation.
- Breeding
- Sept.-Jan.
- Nest
- beautiful small deep cup of green moss, spiders' web, lichen; lined with fur, plant down; on horizontal lichen-covered fork or branch, low to 18 m.
- Eggs
- 2-3; pale green, blue-grey; freckled brown, purple, at large end.
- Range & Status
- breeds in wetter coastal and mountain forests and rainforests, on and coastwards of Divide, from sea level to c. 1000 m, from sw. Vic. to se. Q. Disperses in autumn-winter w. to Adelaide-s. Flinders Ras. (SA); Murray Valley (Vic.-NSW); coastwards and on w. slopes of Divide (NSW-Q); w. to Carnarvon Ras., coastally n. to Rockhampton (Q). Ranges n. on highlands at least to Eungella NP (Q). Uncommon. Dispersive.
