Ashy robin
| Ashy robin | |
|---|---|
| File:Grey Headed Robin Qld.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Petroicidae |
| Genus: | Heteromyias |
| Species: | H. albispecularis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heteromyias albispecularis (Salvadori, 1876)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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The ashy robin (Heteromyias albispecularis), also known as the black-cheeked robin, is a species of bird in the family Petroicidae native to New Guinea.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]It is one of three species within the genus Heteromyias. Previously, it and the grey-headed robin from Australia were treated as one species and known as Heteromyias albispecularis. The black-capped robin (H. armiti) was formerly considered a subspecies of H. albispecularis, but more recent studies indicate it is a distinct species, and it has been split from it (the subspecies H. a. rothschildi has also been carried over to armiti).[2] It has also been classified within the genus Poecilodryas.
Described by Italian naturalist, Tommaso Salvadori, in 1874, the ashy robin is a member of the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA-DNA hybridisation studies placed this group in a Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines, including pardalotes, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters, and crows.[3] However, subsequent molecular research (and current consensus) places the robins as a very early offshoot of the Passerida (or "advanced" songbirds), within the songbird lineage.[4]
Description
[edit | edit source]Measuring 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in), the ashy robin is a large and solidly built robin. It has a sooty black head and cheeks, with a white stripe extending backwards and upwards from the eyes. It has a white throat darkening to buff underparts and olive-brown upperparts. There is a white patch on the otherwise dark-plumaged wing. The bill is grey-black, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs pale pink.[5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit | edit source]The ashy robin is found across the mountain ranges of New Guinea (in both West Papua and Papua New Guinea) from 1,400 to 2,600 m (4,600 to 8,500 ft). Within the rainforest it is found singly or occasionally in pairs in the understory or on the ground.
Behaviour
[edit | edit source]Feeding
[edit | edit source]It is insectivorous, and hunts by gleaning or snatching, often on the ground. Among its prey are ants, beetles, phasmids, centipedes, and earthworms.[5]
Breeding
[edit | edit source]The nest is a shallow cup made of bark, grass, twigs, and dry leaves. Spider webs are used for binding or filling. The nest is generally placed in cover 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) above the ground. The clutch consists of a single cream- or olive-white egg, marked with light brown or mauve splotches and spots, usually concentrated around the large end. The egg measures 24 by 20 mm in size.[5]
References
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