Ashy robin
| Ashy robin | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Infraorder: | Passerides |
| Family: | Petroicidae |
| Genus: | Heteromyias |
| Species: | H. albispecularis
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| Binomial name | |
| Heteromyias albispecularis (Salvadori, 1876)
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| 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]
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]
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]
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]
Feeding[edit]
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]
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[edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Heteromyias albispecularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103753407A95059692. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103753407A95059692.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Sibley CG, Ahlquist JE (1990). Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. pp. 603, 610–27. ISBN 0-300-04085-7.
- ^ Barker, F. Keith; Cibois, Alice; Schikler, Peter A.; Feinstein, Julie; Cracraft, Joel (27 July 2004). "Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation" (PDF). PNAS. 101 (30): 11040–45. Bibcode:2004PNAS..10111040B. doi:10.1073/pnas.0401892101. PMC 503738. PMID 15263073. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ a b c Coates, Brian J. (1990). The Birds of Papua New Guinea. Volume II. Queensland: Dove Publications. pp. 189–90. ISBN 978-0-9590257-1-2. OCLC 153651608.